Your Lips, Your Lies, Your Lust
by Sage Londyn
Summary: Jolene thought nothing interesting ever happens in Mystic Falls. That is until she meets Damon Salvatore, and the two fall hard for each other. But with her dad on the council, what will she do when she discovers his secret? -Damon/OC-Starts in season 1-
1. Old Habits Die Hard

_**Chapter 1 – **_**Old Habits Die Hard-**

_"Everyone in this town is seeing somebody else._

_Everybodys tired of someone, our eyes wander for help._

_Prayers that need no answer now._

_I'm tired of who I am._

_You were my greatest mistake…_

_I fell in love with your sin, your littlest sin._

_Was this over before… before it ever began?_

_Your kiss, your calls, your crutch!_

_Like the devils got your hands!_

_This was over before, before it ever began._

_Your lips, your lies, your lust!_

_Like the devil's in your hands."_

_Feel Good Drag - Anberlin_

**({}){(})**

"Seriously, you don't have anything stronger than Tylenol?" Vicki asked as she raided the medicine cabinet.

"Come on, Vic. It's a new school year… can't you start the school day sober?" Jolene asked as she tucked some of her reddish-brown hair behind her ear.

"We could… but that would be so boring!" Vicki exclaimed as she pulled on one of Jolene's shirts.

"I may have something from a stash last year… but it's the last I've got." Jolene said her green eyes sad as she pulled a small bag of pills from the back of her underwear drawer.

"Thanks." Vicki said, smiling wide as she tucked them into her bag.

"So you're really kicking the habit, huh?" Vicki asked as the two girls descended the stairs in Jolene's large house.

"I'm kicking all habits. If I don't, my dad's going to make me live with my mom." Jolene complained as the two girls got into her white Ford Explorer.

As she pulled into the parking lot of their high school Jolene sighed. "I'm so not ready for school to start already. Summer is just not long enough, god I can't wait till we're out of here."

"You and me both. We'll move to a big city, get a little apartment, and forget we ever came from such a small Virginia town." Vicki said, dreamily as she chased a few of the pills down with some water.

"Give me that, I need a drink." Jolene said as she took the water bottle away and took a big drink as they walked up to the busy school.

Coughing Jolene handed the bottle back to Vicki. "Vodka? Are you kidding me?"

"Whatever. You like invented the inconspicuous ways to sneak drugs and alcohol into school. Looks like you haven't quite kicked the habit." Vicki said as she playfully shook the clear contents of the bottle.

"I know that you don't want to quit everything. But I do, I barely passed my classes last year and my dad is gonna freak if my grades don't improve. You're my friend, can't you be supportive here?" Jolene asked.

"Your dad is still guilt tripping over cheating on your mom and remarrying… he lets you get away with anything and everything." Vicki reminded her.

"Yeah, but I have a ten year old stepsister and my step mom found drugs I brought into the house. It was like the last straw… I'm seriously treading on thin ice here." Jolene reminded her friend, frustrated at Vicki for not being supportive of her decisions.

"Hey Vick. Hey Jo." Jeremy Gilbert said as he approached the two girls.

Vicki smiled wide at him and Jolene nodded before saying, 'I'm gonna head inside."

"You sure?" Vicki asked, frowning.

"I got something…" Jeremy said, displaying some white pills in his hand.

"No thanks." She said pulling her eyes from the pills and feeling her stomach jump from nerves.

"She's too good for us now. All clean and perfect." Vicki teased.

"I'll catch up with you later." Jolene said, letting her anger show on her face as she turned and started for the school.

"What's up, Proctor?" Tyler said, with a smile as he crossed paths with Jolene.

"Hey Ty." She said, smiling.

"I didn't even know it was you at first. Not used to seeing you in color… well, not used to seeing you in anything other than black and red." He said, smirking.

Jolene looked down at her light green shirt and her faded blue jeans.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way." Tyler corrected.

"Thanks… I think." Jolene said, wishing she had worn the same dark clothes she had worn the prior school year year.

"I'm looking for Vicki, have you seen her?" Tyler asked.

"She's over there… with the druggies." Jolene told him, nodding behind her.

He nodded in thanks as he walked past her in search of Vicki.

Jolene's eyes searched the semi-crowded hallway until she spotted her old best friends, Elena and Bonnie. Taking a deep breath she started to walk over to them.

"Hey guys." She said smiling as they turned to look at her.

"Hey." They said in unison.

"I'm sorry about being so… well, I'm sorry about screwing up last year." She apologized for not trying to stay in touch with them and for mixing herself up in a bad crowd.

"It's fine. It's a new year, right? We're going to make it kick ass!" Bonnie exclaimed smiling as she shut her locker.

"You look good, Jolene." Elena said, smiling at her friend happy to have her off drugs and back to her old self.

"Thanks, how are you holding up?" Jolene asked her.

Elena's smile drooped a little, "I'm decent."

Jolene nodded understandingly.

"Oh my god!" Caroline exclaimed as she walked up to them.

Grabbing Jolene's chine she looked into her eyes. "No dilated pupils! And you look so healthy! You're back from the dark side?" Caroline joked.

"As much I as I missed you, Caroline, I could kind of do without the jokes… I'm having a hard enough time as it is." Jolene admitted to her three friends.

"Right, sorry." Caroline said, before turning her attention to Elena.

**})The Next Week At School{(**

"I think its crap they revised the graduation requirements and now we have to have two history classes, as if Mr. Tanners class isn't enough." Jolene said as she looked beside her to Stefan.

He nodded.

"I'm Jolene, by the way." She said with a friendly smile.

"Stefan Salvatore." He responded, returning her smile.

They had just gotten paired up on a project in their second history class.

"Well… we can't do the project at my house tonight. My stepmom is playing perfect and holding book club tonight. What about your place? You live at the old boarding house with your uncle right?" Jolene asked him.

"Friends with Caroline?" He questioned with a small laugh.

She nodded.

"No. My place isn't good either… can we meet somewhere?" He asked her.

"The grill?" She asked. He smiled and nodded.

"Where's your study partner?" Tyler asked as he slid into the booth across from Jolene.

"I guess I got stood up." She responded checking the time on her cellphone again.

"Yeah, well, the guys a freak." Tyler said as he took a drink of his coke.

"He probably got busy." Jolene responded.

Leaning over the table, Tyler said, "Hey… you wanna get out of here?"

She laughed. "You're joking right? You're with Vicki now."

"Not like we're exclusive… and what about the summer?" He asked.

Standing up she said, "I was living it up before school started and I had to pull my act together. And Vicki is my friend, Tyler."

"I was just kidding…. Don't tell Vic." He called after her as she walked away from the table.

**(())**

The sun was starting to set as Jolene knocked on the door of the Salvatore's house.

"Can I help you?" A man asked looking at her.

"Hi you must be Stefan's uncle." She said, with a friendly smile.

"What do you need?" He asked, trying to not come off as unfriendly.

"Uh… He's my partner for a history project and we were supposed to meet at the grill…" She said.

'He's not here." He said, starting to shut the door.

"Uncle Zach… don't be so rude." A man said as he stepped forward.

Jolene's eyes widened as she looked at him. She had thought Stefan was attractive, but now she was sure the man standing in front of her was the hottest guy she had ever seen.

"Stefan should be back soon. You can come in and wait." Damon said.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Damon." Zach said turning to look at him.

"You should go home." Zach said looking back to her.

"Nonsense." Damon said his eyes intense as he smiled charmingly at her and held the door open.

**({}){(})**

_**A/N – Thanks for reading, and forgiving my second Vampire Dairies fanfiction a shot! ^_^**_

_**I also have another Vampire Dairies story in the works, it's posted under the title 'Born To Die'. **_

**Please take a few moments to leave a review! I really like writing Damon stories, but if no one I interested in them I'll return to focusing solely on my Supernatural stories. I appreciate the feedback more than you know. ^_^**


	2. Invited Inside

_**Chapter 2 – **_**Invited Inside-**

**({}){(})**

"Thank you." Jolene said as she walked through the open door and into the house.

"Anytime." Damon said, taking a deep breath as she passed him.

"Look…" Zach stopped, not knowing what her name was.

"Jolene." She responded, trying to keep a friendly smile on her face as she faced Damon and Stefan's uncle.

"Jolene, I think it would be best for everyone if you just went home. It's getting late and it's dangerous." He revealed.

"Dangerous? In Mystic Falls, Virginia?" She questioned, not able to help but laugh.

"Come on." Damon said as he placed a hand on her lower back and pushed her through a door way into a sitting room.

"Whoa." She breathed, looking around the room. It was beautifully decorated, and very elegant looking.

"So my little brother stood you up? Well, that's Stefan for you…" Damon said, looking the girl over.

"I'm sure he just got busy… I mean who really wants to think about homework, right?" She reasoned with herself out loud.

"Still, he's an idiot for not showing. Even if was just for school." Damon said, smiling at the attractive teenager.

"That's sweet." She responded blushing a little.

After the pair took a seat on the couch, she said, "Not that Stefan and I are close or anything… but he didn't mention he had a brother."

Damon smirked. "I just got into town a few days ago… we're not close."

"I'm sorry." She responded.

Looking up, she saw Zach peek around the corner at them.

"Your uncle is spying on us." She whispered.

"He's a paranoid schizophrenic, long line of mental illness." Damon lied, barely able to contain his smile as he knew how worried his nephew was about him hurting this girl.

"Oh, sorry…. I wasn't trying to be rude." She said, feeling bad.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I should be apologizing for his inappropriate behavior." Damon said scooting a little closer to her.

The two talked for close to an hour when Jolene looked at the time on her cellphone.

"It's getting pretty late. When is Stefan due back?" She asked.

"I have no idea where he is." Damon said.

"But you said he was due back any minute… over an hour ago." She said frowning.

"It was a ploy to talk to you." Damon said.

"You didn't have to lie. I would have gladly talked to you without the ploy." Jolene said, smiling widely at him.

"I'll remember that for next time." Damon charmed.

"You are welcome to stay here, keep me company until Stefan shows." Damon informed her.

"I actually walked here and I need to start heading home." She informed him.

"I can't let you walk home in the dark; it's not safe for a girl as pretty as you." Damon said.

"Wow. Do those lines actually work?" Jolene joked laughing.

"I'm insulted." Damon joked, putting a hand over his heart.

"I'll drive you." Damon said pulling his keys from his pocket.

"Okay." She said smiling as they headed towards the front door.

"Where are you doing?" Zach asked them.

"I'm making sure she gets home… safe." Damon told his uncle.

"Please, be careful… make sure she is safe, Damon." Zach begged him not to kill the girl.

"Have a good night." Jolene said, smiling softly at the uncle.

(())

"Thanks for taking me home… and walking me to the door." Jolene said as she stood on her large front porch with Damon.

"No trouble." He said watching as she unlocked the door.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" He questioned.

"As much as I've enjoyed your company, and I have enjoyed it. I have to buckle down and get this project done." She told him, smiling at his wanting to stay around her longer.

"What project is it?" He asked her.

"It's for one of my history classes… it's over local events near our area." She explained.

"I could help you." He said, before pausing and saying, "It's the least I can do after my little brother didn't show."

"Really?" She asked shocked.

He nodded.

Opening the door and walking in she said, "Well then, come in."

He walked up to the door frame, pausing for a moment before stepping into the house.

"I was about to call you." Jolene's stepmom Marlaina said.

"Yeah, my study partner never showed." Jolene explained as she and Damon walked through the entry way and into the living room.

"Oh, who is this?" Marlaina asked.

"This is actually my study partner's brother, Damon. He was nice enough to drive me home and he's going to help with the project." Jolene said.

"It's nice to meet you." Marlaina said smiling at him.

Damon smiled and nodded.

After walking into her bedroom, Jolene unplugged her laptop computer from the top of her dresser and started to pull some papers off her desk when Damon asked, "So you're into vampires, huh?"

"What?' Jolene asked, confused as she turned and looked at him.

He nodded towards a life size cardboard cutout of Edward Cullen.

Her eyes widened. "I swear to god, that is not mine."

"Hmm." Damon hummed.

"Honestly, it's not. My little sister's birthday is next week; she's turning 11 and is obsessed with the whole twilight thing. That's her present." Jolene explained as she looked at him.

It was a few hours later, when Jolene walked with Damon back down the stairs. They had finished the project in less than an hour, Damon new everything she needed for it; they didn't have to use the history book once.

They had spent the rest of the time talking more and it was now going on midnight.

"Hello." Jolene's father, Marshall, said as he walked into the living room from the kitchen.

"Dad…" Jolene said, looking at him.

"Who is this?" He asked, looking at Damon.

"This is my friend, Damon." She responded.

Damon extended his hand and shook with her father.

"And what is Damon doing here at midnight, when you have school tomorrow?" He asked.

"Helping me with school work." She responded.

"You're in high school?" Marshall asked him, confused.

"No, my little brother is though. He wasn't able to help Jolene with her project so I stepped in." He clarified.

"Ah." Marshall said nodding.

"Well, I'm already running late for work… I'll see you in the morning Jolene. Have a nice night, Damon." Marshall said as he walked past them and headed off to his graveyard shift as a doctor in the E.R.

**(())**

"Good morning, Stefan." Jolene said as she took a drink of her Starbucks coffee and looked over to the desk he was sitting at beside her.

"Good morning." He responded back.

"Forget anything last night?" She asked.

Stefan didn't hear her, he was lost in his thoughts… he had just found out his brother Damon was back in town.

"Stefan, did you forget anything last night… like, I don't know… maybe your history partner and an important project?" She asked louder when he didn't respond to her first question.

"I am so sorry, I got busy and it must have completely slipped my mind." He said, looking at her apologetically.

Pulling the papers from her binder she said, "Don't worry… I put your name on it."

"Let me see it, maybe there's a few things I could add that weren't in the history book." Stefan said as he took the papers and skimmed over them.

"This is really good." Stefan said at seeing how detailed it all was.

"You can thank your brother for that… he's like, some kind of history buff." Jolene said as she took the paper back.

"You met Damon?" Stefan asked worried.

"When you ditched me, I headed to your house and you weren't there." She told him.

"And you finished it at my house?" Stefan asked her, his eyes glancing to her wrists and neck for any signs of bite marks.

"No, at my house when he drove me home." She corrected his train of thought.

"You… invited him inside of your house?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah…" She said looking at him confused.

"Jolene, you really need to be careful…" Stefan said, his voice trailing off.

Sighing she said, "My god, you really take after your uncle don't you?"

"What?" Stefan asked confused. But their talk was interrupted when the teacher started class and collected all their papers.

**({}){(})**

_**A/N - Even though I am following along with the season story line, I'm changing and mixing some things up to fit with my story and my OC.**_

_**Thank you for reading the second installment in my newest Vampire Dairies story! ^_^ Don't forget if you haven't yet to check out my other Damon/OC story 'Born To Die'.**_

**Please take a couple moments to leave me a review to let me know you're reading and liking the story so far. As long as I know there is an interest in a certain story, I do everything I can to get the updates coming quickly. ^_^**


	3. Warning

_**Chapter 3 –Warning **_**-**

**({}){(})**

"Thanks for the ride and the coffee." Matt said as Jolene pulled her SUV into the school parking lot.

"No problem… you know if you need anything Matt, I'm here." She said as she squeezed his arm.

"I'm really happy you got your life put back together. I just wish Vicki would clean her act up too." Matt said as he took a drink of his coffee.

"I don't think she wants to…" Jolene said, her voice trailing off.

"Maybe this attack will end up making her rethink her bad habits… maybe she'll get clean." Matt said his tone hopeful as they walked towards the school.

"So, Vicki said it was a vampire that attacked her?" Elena asked.

Matt nodded.

"Weird." Elena said, shaking her head.

"She was pretty messed up on pills and stuff." Jolene said.

**(())**

"Hey, Jolene." Stefan said as he walked up to her.

"Hey! Are you getting ready for the comet too?" She asked excited to be witnessing such a historic event.

"Yeah, I heard you went out with Damon last night." Stefan pried.

She nodded.

"You need to be careful around him… you can't trust him." Stefan told her.

"Why not?" Jolene asked him.

"He's just…. Not a very good guy. Someone you really don't want to get mixed up with." Stefan told her as more people gathered in the towns square to witness the comet.

"Thank you, new guy in school I hardly know." She said, laughing.

She saw his serious expression and her smile fell.

"I'm always careful. And I appreciate the concern, but maybe I could take it more seriously if you gave me some valid reasons. I know you and Damon haven't exactly always seen eye to eye." She said.

"Every time I've let my guard down, every single time I've trusted him about something, he never fails to let me down." Stefan said.

"For the record… you should be a little more worried about you and Elena instead of who I'm dating." Jolene said.

"Why do you say that?" Stefan asked her.

"Elena is one of my best friends and I can tell she really likes you. You make her happy Stefan." Jolene explained as she picked up her candle and handed one to him.

"She makes me happy to." Stefan told her.

Grabbing his shoulders she turned him sideways to face Elena's direction.

"Then go tell her, not me." Jolene said as she patted him on the back.

Stefan smiled in thanks as he headed towards Elena.

"Jolene." Damon said as he walked up to her.

"Hey!" She said smiling as she lit her candle from the burning flame on the one he was holding.

"So, I'm supposed to stay away from you… because you're a bad guy." She said, laughing as she looked up to the sky.

"Says who? I happen to be a very good guy." Damon said, as he leaned down to talk into her ear.

She smiled and turned to face him.

"Apparently, our seeing each other has really gotten under Stefan's skin." Jolene explained.

"He takes after my paranoid uncle." Damon said.

Jolene laughed out loud. "That's exactly what I told him at school the other day!"

Damon laughed with her; the sound of her happiness was music to his ears.

He thought he'd never love or have feelings for anyone but Katherine. But the more time he spent with Jolene, the less he thought about his former vampire lover.

She frowned a little as she glanced at him again.

"Still, he really seems worried… like not paranoid worried but genuinely concerned." She revealed her thoughts to him as they both watched the comet in the sky.

"What do you think, about me?" Damon asked her.

"Well, I think you're handsome…" She said when he cut her off.

"That's a given." He said, smiling at her.

"Shut up!" She said playfully hitting his shoulder.

"And I think that you're charming and funny… and I always look forward to seeing you again." She admitted.

He looked into her green eyes as their flickering candle flames made lights glance in the emerald circles.

"Good." Damon said for the first time in over a hundred years feeling real happiness.

Leaning down he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. When he pulled back they both looked into each other's eyes, shocked at the sparks that ran through them.

A little while later she said, "I've gotta go find Vicki. I need to see how she's doing."

"She's out of the hospital…?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, she got released yesterday. She's making a full recovery." Jolene said with a smile.

"I'll find you later." She said as she leaned up and kissed him one more time before making her way through the crowd.

"What are you doing?" Jolene asked as Vicki took a few pills from a bottle.

"Good to see you too, Jo." Vicki said looking at her.

"I'm sorry. I just wish you'd give the drugs up." Jolene admitted honestly.

"Yeah, well. I wish you'd let loose a little. You're no fun anymore!" Vicki said as she shook the bottle of pills out to her friend.

"Stop." Jolene said.

"You suck." Vicki said as she tucked the bottle back into her pocket.

"I know it's hard to get clean but, Vick, if I did it… you can do it. I can help you." Jolene pleaded.

"I don't want your help. I like the way I am." Vicki snapped.

"No you don't. I didn't like myself when I was on drugs and I know you don't either." Jolene said.

"How is life completely sober? Is it full of sunshine? Do you love yourself now?" Vicki asked her.

"Life still blows. But honestly… yeah, I kind of do like myself a little more." Jolene admitted.

"I liked you better before." Vicki snapped before walking away.

Walking back outside, Jolene sat down on a bench and looked at the crowd of people still gathered in the town square.

"Where's your candle?" Tyler asked as he sat down on the bench beside her.

"I don't know. I dropped it somewhere." Jolene said as she rubbed her forehead.

"Great job, Jo. You're gonna burn the whole town down." Tyler joked.

Jolene tried to keep a straight face but couldn't help but smile at his joke.

"Hey, uh. Thanks for not telling Vicki about the grill." Tyler said, referring to when he had made a pass at her.

"She doesn't need any more stress, Ty." Jolene said.

"Still, I'm sorry for being such a dick." He said, as he blew the flame out on his own candle.

"You are not." She said looking at him.

"Okay so maybe I'm not. You are the hottest girl at school and me being the football star…" Tyler said, his voice trailing off.

"It's never going to happen." She said annoyed with him as she stood to walk away.

"Wait." Tyler said as he grabbed her arm and made her stop.

"What?" She asked, pulling her arm from his.

"I really do like Vicki." He admitted.

"Then act like it, you dick." Jolene said as she quickly walked away.

"Ugh. Sorry Jer." Jolene said as she literally ran into him.

"Hey, have you seen Vicki?" He asked her.

"A little while ago, yeah." She admitted remembering their fight.

"I can't find her anywhere… I'm getting worried." He admitted.

"I'll go look around…" She said.

"Hey, for the record… I think you're much better for her than Tyler is." Jolene said with a small smile.

"She told you about us?" Jeremy asked her.

Jolene nodded before heading off to search for her friend.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked, as he slid an arm round her waist.

"I've been searching for Vicki for like… 20 minutes. Have you seen her?" She asked him.

"I may have crossed paths with her a while ago, I'm sure she's fine." He told her.

"I really would feel better if I saw her myself." Jolene said as she headed back towards the grill.

"She's fine, Jolene." Damon said.

"I said I'd feel better if I saw for myself. What's going on with you?" She asked, sensing he was a little on edge.

He was fairly sure his compulsion on Vicki was full proof, but he didn't want to take a chance and have Jolene talk to her.

"I'll give you a ride home." Damon said as he put his hand on her lower back.

"No. I'm not going anywhere." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Come on." He said as he took a hold her arm and started to pull her with him.

"Damon! Stop!" Jolene yelled as she tried to pull her arm back.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Matt asked walking up to them.

"It's fine Matt." Jolene said, looking down for a moment.

"Man, what do you think you're doing to her?" Matt asked Damon.

"It's none of your business." Damon responded angrily.

"Come on." Matt said to her as he started to head back into the grill.

She turned to follow him and then noticed Damon was following her.

"No. you stay here. Or you know what? Go home." Jolene said, hurt showing in her eyes.

Damon stopped and watched as Jolene followed Matt into the grill.

He wished he had just compelled her to leave with him, but he had made a promise to himself he wasn't going to use mind control on her. He was starting to fall for her the way that she was, and he didn't want anything to mess that up.

**({}){(})**

**A/N** - _**Thank you for reading the third chapter of my newest Vampire Dairies story! ^_^ **_

_**Don't forget if you haven't yet to check out my other Damon/OC story 'Born To Die'.**_

**Please take a couple moments to leave me a review to let me know you're reading and liking the story so far. Don't be shy. ^_^ As long as I know there is an interest in a certain story, I do everything I can to keep the updates flowing. **


	4. Birthdays and Blood Covered Cakes

_**Chapter 4 –Birthdays and Blood Covered Cakes **_**-**

**({}){(})**

Jolene walked past the crowd of kids and into the house as she heard the doorbell ring.

It was Saturday and the day of her little sisters birthday party.

"What do you want?" She asked opening the door to see Damon standing there.

"I came to apologize." He told her.

"I was on edge that night. With everything that Stefan told you and just a lot of family issues going on right now. I had no right to act the way I did." He told her.

"Okay." Jolene said, looking down at the ground still angry with him.

"And I come bearing gifts." He said, as he held up a perfectly wrapped box.

"Is that for my sister?" She asked, smiling.

He nodded.

"I thought you said gifts… as in plural." She said.

Setting the box down, he handed her a smaller box, it was wood and looked hand carved.

"What is it?" She questioned.

"Open it." He told her.

Opening the box she smiled, it was a beautiful all silver bracelet with a few charms dangling from it. Her eyes stopped on the center piece of the bracelet, where a small locket-like pendant was dangling.

'"It's beautiful." She said, looking at him.

He took it back from her and pulled the bracelet from the box.

Looking into her eyes he said, "No matter what, do not take this bracelet off. Ever."

"I won't take it off." She said back as if she were in trance.

He felt a tinge of disappointment in himself for compelling her, even though he was compelling her to keep a bracelet on that would protect her.

The pendant on the bracelet was filled with vervain. He didn't completely trust himself not to use mind control on her, he was protecting her from him.

Looking down she smiled at the charm bracelet he had put on her wrist.

"I'm never going to take it off." She said, smiling widely at him.

"Heather! Come here!" Jolene yelled across the back yard to her little sister.

As the girl neared them, her eyes winded at Damon.

"Heather, this is Damon." Jolene introduced them.

Damon frowned slightly, he knew a lot of times kids had a better sense of danger than adults. And from the looks of it, Heather could sense something was off about him.

"So you're the birthday girl? This is for you." He said, handing her the present.

Heather shakily took the box from him.

"Can you say thank you?" Jolene asked, looking at her.

"Thanks…" Heather muttered before running in the opposite direction.

"I don't think she likes me." He said.

"She's a spoiled little brat…" Jolene muttered, before walking Damon over to where the cake and punch was.

"That's… impressive." He said looking at the white cake that appeared to have blood dripped on it, and running down the sides.

"You like it? I made it myself. My stepmom got mad at me… she said it was too gory for an 11 year olds birthday. But you can't love vampires without having some bloodshed, right? And Heather loved it." She said, as she poured Damon a glass of red punch.

"Excuse me." He said as he wandered off.

Jolene served a few of the kids a slice of the cake as she watched Damon talk to Heather for a few minutes.

"Jo! Jo, look!" Heather exclaimed excitedly as she displayed three very large fabric posters of the Twilight cast.

Damon walked up to her smiling.

"That's great heather…" Jolene said confused.

"Thanks, Damon! You're the best!" Heather said before running to show her mom the posters.

"Wow, she did a 360. What did you say to her?" Jolene asked him.

"I just had her open her present." Damon lied. He had compelled the young girl to lose her fear of him, so no one would get suspicious.

"Ugh! Can we go inside, or to the shade?" Jolene asked as she looked down her arms that were turning red.

Laughing, Damon asked, "Not a fan of the sun, huh?"

Brushing her reddish-brown hair from her face she shook her head no.

Sitting inside the kitchen, Damon looked out of the large sliding glass doors to the children's birthday party.

His eyes stopped on Heather, her naturally tanned skin was darker from being out in the sun. She looked in the house smiling as she squinted her dark brown eyes in the sun and waved to them.

"She looks nothing like you." Damon pointed out.

"She's not blood relation. She's my stepmom's daughter." Jolene explained.

"I try to be nice to her though… she's a really good kid and it's not like my parent's divorce was her fault." Jolene said.

"What happened?" Damon asked her.

She looked down at her glass of punch before saying, "You know how my dad is a doctor? Well, Marlaina got hired on at the hospital as a patient tech a few years ago. He had an affair with her; it killed my parent's marriage. The divorce was barely finalized before they were walking down the aisle."

"What happened to your mother?" Damon asked her.

"It was all too much for her to take. She's always had some… issues, substance abuse problems, and she packed up and left. She only lives a few towns over but I haven't seen her since she left." Jolene answered.

"Her loss." Damon said, trying to make her feel better.

Reaching up he took a hold of her chin and made her face him.

Leaning in he kissed her. Pulling back she smiled before leaning back in pressing her kiss harder to his lips as their kiss deepened.

"Eww!" Heather said, as she stood in the doorway.

Pulling back Jolene laughed and looked at her little sister.

"Dad wants to talk to you." Heather said to her older sister.

"I need to get going anyways. I'll call you later." Damon said as he kissed her one more time before leaving.

"What's up dad?" Jolene asked as she walked up her father.

"I saw your boyfriend was here…" Marshall said.

"Yeah, he came by to give Heather her birthday present." Jolene answered as she moved farther into the shade under the large tree her dad was standing under.

"She showed me." He stated, before taking a breath and saying.

"I'm really proud of you, Jo. You've really turned everything around." He said smiling at her.

"But?" She asked, knowing there was a second part to it.

"But, how much do you really know about Damon? I don't want to sound like my crazy mother claiming she can sense things… but I get these really bad feelings when I'm around him." He said.

"He's a good guy, dad. And I'm happy with him." She explained.

"Don't you think he's a bit too old for you?" He asked.

"No dad, I don't…" She said narrowing her eyes in anger at him.

"I don't want you to see him anymore." Marshall finally said.

"You don't get that choice." She said, taking a few steps back.

"I am your father." He said his voice full of authority.

"Who cheated on my mom, and made her run off… you lost my respect years ago, and you sure as hell don't get a say in my love life. I make better choices than you." She said her voice partially in a growl.

"Jo!" A voice yelled from across the yard.

Jo turned and saw Vicki standing there waving to her.

"Jolene." Her dad said he knew Vicki was a bad influence on her.

"Later." She said, not even looking back at him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked her once they got inside.

"Your dad looked pissed to see me." Vicki pointed out.

"He thinks you're a bad influence." Jolene said.

"He's right isn't he?" Vicki asked with a loud laugh.

"I'm sorry for freaking out of you the other night… I just had gotten out of the hospital and I wasn't in my right mind." Vicki apologized.

"It's okay." She said as she hugged her friend.

"So, while I'm here… you got anything?" She asked.

Looking out of the kitchen window to where her dad was she, said, "Actually yeah. I do."

Going into the master bathroom she opened the medicine cabinet.

"They finally took the locks off?" Vicki asked as she grabbed a bottle of prescription pain pills.

"What do you know, they trust me again." Jolene said, as she handed Vicki another bottle and said, "Let's get out of here."

**({}){(})**

**A/N** - _**Thank you for reading ! ^_^ **_

_**Don't forget if you haven't yet to check out my other Damon/OC story 'Born To Die'.**_

**Please take a couple moments to leave me a review to let me know you're reading and liking the story so far. Don't be shy. ^_^ As long as I know there is an interest in a certain story, I do everything I can to keep the updates coming. ^_^**


	5. Another Lifetime

_**Chapter 5 –Another Lifetime **_**-**

**({}){(})**

Jolene walked from the bathroom at one of Vicki's friend's houses. It was Sunday, and she had spent the night in a drug house with people she didn't know.

She sat in a chair and looked around the destroyed living room. It was a hard scene to take, strangers passed out from drugs and drinking. Empty bottles tossed about and beer cans stacked higher than a person.

Rock music played from a large stereo, the sound muffled by a sleeping bag pushed up against it.

She considered for a moment how different this scene would have looked to her if she was under the influence of anything, for a moment she almost regretted her decision of locking herself in a back bathroom and sleeping all night without taking anything.

Sitting down on the arm of the chair, Vicki leaned over and wrapped her arms around Jolene. "I am so happy to have you back! Partying was so boring without you!" She said, her words a little slurred from the drinking and drugs.

"I didn't take anything, I didn't even have one drink." Jolene informed her.

"Why?" Vicki asked.

"I'm just not that person anymore." Jolene said.

"Then why the hell are you even here?" Vicki asked.

"Because I wanted to piss my dad off, and I needed away from home. Is that not okay?" Jolene asked.

"Come on, one hit and you can start to forget about family drama." Vicki said as she looked over to a couple of guys smoking pot next to an open window.

"No." Jolene said.

"You are really starting to piss me off, you know that?" Vicki said as she stood up.

"Me? I'm not doing anything!" Jolene yelled at her.

"That's just it! You won't do anything! And I know why…"Vicki said.

"I can't do anything… I'm getting back into cheerleading and you know they drug test all the athletes!" Jolene reminded her.

"Yeah, because now your friends with them again. Back with perfect little Elena, Bonnie and that bitch Caroline!" Vicki yelled.

"You don't even know them!" Jolene defended her friends.

"I don't need to. They're stuck up snobs! And you're no better!" Vicki yelled in an angry drug haze.

"You're drunk. I'm going to pretend this never happened." Jolene said through gritted teeth as she headed towards the door.

"I know the real reason… you're afraid of turning into her." Vicki called after her.

"What?" Jolene asked as she turned back around.

Vicki's jaw tensed with anger as she said, "Your crack head mom. You're so afraid you're going to turn into her. Well, guess what? You already have! There's no escaping it, you can try all you want to pretend you're different. That you're better than me, better than this… but we both know you're as much as a screw up as I am." Vicki spat her words at her friend.

"Shut up!" Jolene yelled back, feeling tears sting her eyes.

Vicki's face softened a little as she looked at her.

"Jo, I'm sorry… I'm messed up." Vicki said, trying to cop her way out of her hurtful words.

"You are messed up, and you know what, Vick? We're over. I don't want to be dragged back down into the dirt with a slut like you." Jolene yelled, walking back towards the door.

"We're not friends anymore!" Vicki yelled after her, her words more slurred than before.

"We already established this; maybe if you weren't such a screw up… you'd be smart enough to understand that!"

**{(})**

"Finally." Marshall said to his daughter as she came in the front door of the house.

"Leave me alone." She said as she started up the stairs.

"You stink." He said, looking at her as he walked up to her.

"Thanks, dad." She muttered.

"You stink like drugs and booze." He corrected his sentence.

"I didn't do anything." She admitted.

"Damn it Jolene, you were finally pulling your life back together." He said shaking his head angrily.

"I swear I didn't do anything. I didn't take one drink or one pill. I'm clean and sober, and it sucks ass." Jolene said narrowing her green eyes at her dad.

"Sometimes… you remind me so much of your mother it's not even funny." He said, running a hand through his gray peppered hair.

"Don't say that to me…" Jolene said, tears burning her eyes again.

"Well what am I supposed to think? You take off, steal narcotics and disappear for over a day. That's the exact same move your mom would pull." He said.

"I'm not her." Jolene said, tears now pouring down her face.

"No, you're worse. You had such a bright future and you do nothing but throw it away… your lucky I didn't call Sheriff Forbes on you when you disappeared." He said.

"Oh yeah! I'm so lucky to have a father that just cares so freaking much. My god, I really should have done something at the party, if I'm going to get punished it might as well be for something I really did!" She yelled as she ran up the stairs and into her room.

Grabbing a bag she shoved her school books into it along with a few changes of clothes.

"Jolene!" Marshall yelled as he knocked loudly on his daughter's door.

"Leave me alone, dad!" She yelled.

"What are you doing in there?" He asked rattling her door knob trying to get into her room to see if she was using.

She turned the radio on and put her computer in its case. Walking over to her large second story window she climbed out onto the roof over the front porch, putting her book bag on her back and her computer case slung across her body. She walked to the edge, where she slowly climbed down the lattice fence on the side of the house.

She took off running across the neighbor's yard and didn't stop until she was a good distance away from her house.

Finally she stopped and took a few breathes of the late evening air, trying to decide her next move.

"I'm sorry to just show up… I should have called." Jolene said as she looked at Damon as he opened the door to his house.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, concerned by the look on her face.

"I… don't have anywhere to go." She said as a few tears slid down her face.

"Come in." Damon said as he stepped to the side allowing her to walk into the house.

"I know it's kind of late… I'm sorry to barge in like this." She apologized as she swatted the tears away.

Damon pulled her against him and held her tight as she continued to cry.

"What happened?" He asked her.

She explained what happened from the time he left the party, until she showed up crying on his doorstep.

"You can stay here, come on." He said as he led her up the stairs to his room.

It wasn't long after she lay down on his bed; she fell into a deep sleep. The events of the past few days had drained her.

Damon lay on the bed beside her.

He was angry, mad at Vicki for hurting her, and pissed at Jolene's dad for making everything worse.

For years he paid no attention of human suffering, knowing he had caused plenty of it himself. But things were different now, he cared a lot for Jolene and it hurt him to see her in pain.

He had even been feeding from blood bags instead of live prey. She made him want to be better.

He wanted to take her bracelet off and compel her to forget about the pain, but he had sworn to himself he wouldn't ever get inside of her head again.

Damon pulled the blanket up over her and thought to himself how different she was from Katherine.

Katherine had been selfish and used both him and Stefan. Jolene was kind, and had no problem letting Damon know how much she cared about him. This is what he had wanted for so many years, someone to love him just as much as he loved them.

He never thought he'd find love twice in Mystic Falls, but just like the comet, it had made its appearance again; and he was going to take the chance with her, let her know he felt about her.

**({}){(})**

_**A/N – Thank you very much for reading! I can't believe I'm already 5 chapters in. ^_^ I really hope everyone is loving this story as much as I'm loving to write it. **_

_**Later today I'll be updating my other Damon/OC story 'Born to Die'. And I have another Damon fanfic in the works! ^_-**_

**Please take a few moments to let me know you are reading, and liking the story. All of your kind words inspire me to keep writing and get chapters posted quickly. ^_^**


	6. Affirmation

_**Chapter 6 –Affirmation **_**-**

**({}){(})**

Jolene came out of the bathroom after showering and changing into fresh clothes for the day.

It was a Monday and her weekend had been hell, the last thing she wanted to do was go to school, but she knew she had to.

"Jolene?" Stefan asked as she stood in the hallway.

"Hey, Stefan." She said, smiling weakly at him.

"Did you stay the night?" He asked her.

"You ready?" Damon asked as he walked into the hallway with them.

Slinging her backpack onto her shoulder she nodded.

"See you at school." She said to Stefan as she walked past him.

**(())**

"What game are you playing, Damon?" Stefan asked as he walked into the living room.

"Aren't you supposed to be at school?" Damon asked with a smirk.

"Damon, she is a person. She's not here for you to feed off of and control." Stefan said.

"Who are we talking about?" Damon asked confused.

"Jolene." Stefan said.

"I haven't fed from her. Not that the thought hasn't crossed my mind, I mean… you've smelled her blood." Damon said, making his brother uncomfortable.

"I know you've done something to her, she's wandering around school like a zombie! She's weak Damon; it has to be from loss of blood." Stefan said, angry at thinking his brother was lying.

"What do you want with her anyway? Is it to hurt Elena? To hurt me?" Stefan pushed for answers.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I really like her?" Damon asked.

"Not for one second. Because you always have an end game, every move you make is plotted out and it's always to cause pain…" Stefan reminded him.

"Maybe things are different now." Damon said.

"I can't believe that." Stefan answered.

"Have you seen any bite marks? I haven't used compulsion either… I don't have to." Damon told his brother.

"She's a Proctor, Damon." Stefan pointed out.

"So?" Damon asked.

"She comes from a long lineage of witches… you can't say that has nothing to do with this." Stefan said.

"She doesn't even know she could possibly be a witch. Honestly, Stefan… you don't give me enough credit." Damon said as he poured himself a glass of alcohol.

"What do you think is going to happen when she finds out what you are?" Stefan asked.

"I haven't thought of that yet." Damon admitted.

"She's a human being." Stefan said, his eyes dark as he looked at his brother. He knew Damon had little respect for humanity.

"And she needs to know how dangerous you can be." Stefan said.

"Don't threaten me, brother." Damon said as he drank the last of his glass.

**(())**

Jolene sat in her study hall, working on her English homework when… "Jolene Proctor, please gather all of your things and report to the office."

"What's going on?" Elena asked looking up at her friend

"I have no idea." She said as she gathered her stuff and headed through the school.

"Dad?" Jolene asked as she walked into the office.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"I'm checking you out of school early." He said.

Sighing she followed him out of the building.

"Where are we going?" She asked as she got into the passenger seat of his car.

"You hungry?" He asked her.

"I guess…" She said.

Sitting in a restaurant, she scooted her food around on her plate.

"I was really worried when you snuck out last night… I was terrified you had started using drugs again. You really gave me enough reasons to." He said.

"But I told you I didn't touch any drugs… not even alcohol." She said, looking up at him.

"I know." He said.

"Well… good." Jolene said, confused.

"I saw the results from the drug test you took for cheerleading… 100% clean." He said, smiling at her.

"Shame it took an actual scientific result to believe your own flesh and blood." Jolene said.

"I'm sorry. But you have to admit they way you took off… it would make anybody if my position question it too." He said.

"You said I'm just like mom." Jolene said.

"I'm sorry. I know how much that hurt you. I wish I could take it back." Marhsall said.

"You can't." She reminded him as she took a drink.

"You're right. I can't, but I want us to start over." He told her.

"I don't think that's going to happen." She said, frowning.

"How about this… you take the rest of the week and stay with Damon." He said.

"how did you know that's where I was?" She asked.

"I called all your other friends." He admitted.

"After you cool down, you come home. Okay? Just as long as it's before school on Monday." He said.

"Are you serious?" She asked.

"You didn't get wasted, and you got up and went to school on your own. You are trying so hard to prove to me how far you've came, and all I've been doing is making things worse. You've proven to me that I can trust you and I'm sorry for what I said to you." He said.

She bit her bottom lip and nodded.

**(())**

The rest of the week had gone okay and she was back to her house on Thursday, trying to prove to her dad she really had changed for the better.

It was late Friday night when something hit her window of her room.

Looking out of the large window she saw Vicki standing in the yard.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, as she walked over to her, zipping up her sweatshirt in the cold night air.

"I feel like crap." Vicki admitted.

"Jo. I'm so sorry for what I said to you. That was horrible of me, and you're my best friend! Honestly, I'm scared that you're going to keep moving on and leave me behind…" Vicki admitted her eyes red and glassy.

"What did you take?" Jolene asked her.

"Everything I could get my hands on." She admitted.

"I'm cold." Vicki said as she shook in the cool night air.

Sighing she helped Vicki stumble into the house and up the stairs to her room.

As both girls lay in her large bed, Vicki said, "I'm so lucky to have you, Jolene." Before pulling the blanket up to her chin and passing out.

"Wish I could say the same, Vick." Jolene whispered into her dark room as she took out her cellphone and called Matt.

"Jo?" He answered his cellphone groggily.

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know Vicki's here with me. She's passed out, but she's safe and don't worry." Jolene said softly into the phone.

"What did she take this time?" Matt asked her.

"From what she said, and the way she looks… I think the list may be shorter of what didn't she take." Jolene admitted.

"Do you want me to come and get her?" Matt asked, sighing heavily.

"No, it's fine. She can crash here. Go back to sleep." Jolene said.

"Thanks, Jo." Matt said, before hanging up the phone.

**({}){(})**

**A/N –**_** I hope everyone liked the update! I am really hooked on writing this one at the moment. ^_^**_

_**The first chapter of my newest Vampire Dairies fanfiction is posted; it's titled 'Blanket of Fear'. As of right now it's going to be a Tyler/OC then will move onto a Damon/OC, but there will be plenty of Damon moments even in the beginning. ^_^**_

**Please take a few moments to leave a review, even if it's a small one to just let me know you are still reading. I appreciate them all! **


	7. Here We Go, Here We Go Again

_**Chapter 7 –Here We Go, Here We Go Again **_**-**

**({}){(})**

"Is everything okay?" Damon asked as he answered his phone.

"It's fine, but I'm not going to be able to make it tonight…" Jolene told him.

"Why?" Damon asked.

"Vicki's here… she's coming down from a high. I'm sorry Damon." She told him.

"We'll reschedule." He told her, even though she could hear the disappointment in his voice.

Jolene didn't know it, but Damon was going to cook her dinner, and tell her he loved her.

"I'll make it up to you… I've gotta go. She's waking up." She said as she hung up her cellphone.

"Who was that?" Vicki asked as she pulled the blanket up over her head.

"Damon." Jolene admitted.

"He's hot, but he gives me the creeps. I can't believe you're his girlfriend." Vicki groaned.

"Well, I happen to really like him." Jolene snapped.

"Enough said, this slut won't pry." Vicki said as she turned over and faced away from Jolene.

"I'm sorry I called you a slut, Vick. But you really hurt me and I was trying to get back at you." Jolene admitted.

Sitting up and leaning against the head board of the bed, Vicki folded her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry… I want to be friends again." She said.

"I didn't want to stop being friends… but you can't keep dangling drugs in front of my face. Honestly, I'm having a really hard time dealing with everything… and you make it so much worse, Vick." Jolene admitted.

"I know…I won't do it anymore. Okay?" Vicki asked.

"Okay." Jolene responded.

**(())**

"Vicki… you promised." Jolene said as she walked into the cemetery with her friend.

"I'm not gonna do anything… I just wanted to say hi to some friends. Remember them? They used to be your friends to…"Vicki said.

**((A Few Hours Later))**

"Thank you for getting her home, Liz." Marshall said to Sherriff Forbes.

"For the record, her blood alcohol level was 0. And she doesn't appear to be under the influence of anything else." Sherriff Forbes said before turning and walking away.

Her dad walked outside and shut the door behind him.

"Partying in the graveyard? After that talk that we had, you deliberately go behind my back." Marshall yelled angrily at his daughter.

"Honestly dad, I'm starting to get whiplash here. One minute you're cool and trusting and then the next I can't do anything right. You heard the Sherriff, I'm sober." Jolene pointed out.

"But you repeatedly put yourself in danger of relapsing." He shouted.

"I'm not mom. Okay? I'm stronger than her…" Jolene said.

"Can I just go inside and go to be? I've had a rough night." She pleaded.

"I don't think so, Jo." Marshall said.

"What?" She asked, shocked.

"Tomorrow, we will go to the hospital and do a blood test for drugs… if It comes out clean, we'll talk about you starting to be a productive member of the family. But until then, you can't come in." He told her.

"This is my house." Jolene said.

"No, this is my house. You come here to eat and sleep, and steal… I can't have this right now. There is an innocent 11 year old girl in there who wants to be just like you. Marlaina is worried sick that she's going to turn out like you." Marshall snapped at his daughter.

"Where am I supposed to go?" Jolene asked him.

"You can sleep out here, or stay at a friend's. I'll meet you at the hospital at 10am… give me your keys." He demanded.

"You're joking." She scoffed.

"Your keys, Jolene." He said.

"Fine. If this is how you're going to be… I don't want to call this home." She sad, dropping her keys on the porch with a thud.

"Tomorrow at 10 am!" He yelled after her as she started to walk away.

"No." she snapped.

"Then I'll report you as a runaway and you'll go to juvy. You're choice." He said his face stone cold.

"What are you doing out here?" Damon asked her as he walked out onto the porch at his house.

"Debating whether I wanted to knock on the door or leave." She answered honestly.

"Avoiding me?" He questioned.

"No. I just feel like crap for breaking our date. The last thing you probably want to deal with is me showing up in the middle of the night crying again." She admitted.

"What happened?" He asked.

Once inside she explained everything to him.

"You know… as long as Vicki is alive… I'm never going to be happy. She is always going to come crawling back to me, and I'm going to keep forgiving her because I really want to believe she can change." Jolene said as she sat with her knees up to her chin on Damon's bed.

"And I can't believe my own dad kicked me out, especially when I didn't even do anything…" She continued.

Damon sat and listened to her.

"You can't do anything about it tonight, okay?" Damon said.

"I know…" She said her voice trailing off.

Scooting over to her he kissed her, his fingers laced through hers as the lips moved slowly together.

Leaning back from their kiss, she smiled at him and said, "Well, I did say I'd make missing our date up to you."

"You did." Damon said, leaning in and kissing her again. Lying back on the bed, their hands tore at each other's clothes.

**(())**

"Jolene. I'm sorry." Marshall said to his daughter as he looked at the paper work from her blood test and saw she was completely clean.

"That means less and less every time you say it. You think I don't know how Heather looks up to me? That's why I spent my Friday night baking a cake and setting things up for her party and then spent most of my Saturday serving cake to ten year olds." She pointed out with a frown on her face.

"I want you to come home tonight. We're going to sit down and have a family dinner and talk. Will you be there around seven?" He asked.

Looking over her shoulder to where Damon was sitting, she looked back at her dad, "Yeah. I'll try."

"I really am sorry, Jo." He said, before walking away.

Jolene sat across the table from Damon at the grill as she ate her lunch and talked to him.

"Ugh." She muttered looking down at her phone.

"What?" He asked her.

"Vicki's going back to party in the cemetery tonight. Right after we all got busted by the cops!" She exclaimed dropping her phone in her open purse.

"I swear to god, it's like I said last night… as long as she's alive I'm never going to be happy… or be free of her. I know it's a terrible thing to say, or to think… but Vicki does nothing but cause so much pain to everyone around her." Jolene said.

Damon avoided her eyes, and tried to control the anger that was bubbling beneath the surface. He knew even though Jolene was saying she didn't want Vicki around anymore, that she was really mad and didn't mean it.

He decided he was going to the cemetery that night to compel Vickie to leave Jolene alone. Damon wished he had just killed her the first time he had attacked her.

**((Much Later That Night))**

Jolene was back at her house and trying to fix things with her dad and step mom.

"Stefan, we've got a problem." Damon said as he dropped Vicki's motionless body on the couch in their living room.

"You turned her?" Stefan asked a look of shock on his face.

"It was an accident!" Damon snarled, angry at himself.

"How? How is turning someone into a vampire an accident, Damon?" Stefan asked.

"I went to compel her to stay away from Jolene, but next thing I knew she was almost dead… I intended to heal her with my blood." Damon admitted.

"But?' Stefan asked.

"But nothing. She was a lot closer to death than I thought… and instead of healing she died with my blood in her system." Damon told his younger brother.

"You are aware she is Jolene's best friend…" Stefan said, his voice trailing off.

Damon was silent as he tried to figure out the situation.

Stefan took a deep breath before saying, "Damon, if you really do care about Jolene the way you claim to… maybe you should consider getting as far away from her as possible."

"No. I can't lose her." Damon said, still looking at Vicki trying to make a decision on what to do with their newly turned vampire.

"It would be the best thing for her. Everywhere you go all that follows in your wake is blood and pain. Why would this time be any different?" Stefan questioned.

**({}){(})**

**A/N –**_** I hope everyone liked the update! ^_^**_

_**The first chapter of my newest Vampire Dairies fanfiction is posted; it's titled 'Blanket of Fear'. As of right now it's going to be a Tyler/OC then will move onto a Damon/OC, but there will be plenty of Damon moments even in the beginning. ^_^**_

**Please take a few moments to leave a review, even if it's a small one to just let me know you are still reading. I appreciate them all! **


	8. Vampire

_**Chapter 8 –Vampire**_**-**

**({}){(})**

"Hey Matt… I brought pizza." Jolene said displaying the large pizza box at his door.

"I was just trying to figure out what to eat." Matt said with a laugh as he let her walk in.

"Is it okay if I crash here for the night? Some family stuff going on." She vaguely said.

"Of course. But I do have to ask… what about Damon's? You guys have been inseparable for over a month now." Matt pointed out as he pulled two cans of soda from the refrigerator.

Taking a bite of her pizza she sighed, "He won't return my calls…"

"What happened?" Matt asked her.

"I have no idea. I thought things were going great." She said, as she took a drink.

"I think Stefans a good guy… but his brother." Matt shook his head.

"Ugh! Everyone keeps saying that… but it's not true. Damon's one of the best guys I've met. He makes me happy." She admitted.

"You've always went for the bad boy type, but don't you think this is a little extreme?" Matt asked her.

"No, because Damon isn't the bad boy." She snapped.

"Sorry, Jo." Matt said.

"I'm just so sick of everyone telling me how he seems too dangerous, or that there is something off about him… but I don't see it. I mean at times he's… intense, but I really, really like him." She admitted.

"Okay." Matt said, nodding.

A little while later the phone rang.

"Vicki's over at Elena's… she's really messed up. I gotta go." He said.

"I'll come with you." She said as she stood and followed him out of the house.

Jolene stood in Jeremy's bedroom as Matt and Jeremy shut the curtains and helped Vicki lay on the bed.

"I need to talk to, Jo." Vicki said.

After everyone else had left the room Jolene sat down on Jeremy's bed with Vicki.

"I'm so sorry…" Vicki sobbed as she laid her head on Jolene's shoulder.

"It's going to be okay, Vick. Once the high wears off… we'll get everything figured out." Jolene said as she rubbed her friends back.

"Not this time, Jo. You need to run." Vickie said as the burning and tingling in her gums intensified.

"Run? From what?" She asked.

"Damon." Vicki said, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Why?' Jolene asked.

"He killed me." Vicki said, crying even harder.

Sighing heavily Jolene said, "Vick, I don't know what you took…"

Vicki cut her off. "I'm not high, Jo. Damon tried to kill me and then he fed me his blood."

"You realize that makes no sense." Jolene said.

"He's a vampire… him and Stefan." Vicki said, shaking as more thoughts came back.

"Come on, Vicki. Let's be realistic. Vampire's aren't real." Jolene said.

"No. I have to go." Vicki yelled as she picked her shoes up and bolted from the room.

"What happened?" Stefan asked as Jolene ran down the stairs after her friend.

"I don't know… she's messed up. She's talking out of her head and then she took off, I have no idea where she's going." Jolene admitted.

"I'm going to look for her." Matt yelled as he ran towards his truck.

Stefan left to look for Vicki too.

Jolene sat down at Elena's kitchen table.

Elena stood in the doorway and looked at her, she had recently learned what Damon and Stefan were… and she wasn't sure what to say to Jolene. Stefan had made it very clear to her how dangerous his brother was.

"Can we talk, Jo?" Elena asked as she walked over to the table and sat down beside her.

"Sure." Jolene said.

"Do you believe… in the paranormal?" Elena asked her.

"Like ghosts?" Jolene asked her.

"Yeah… and werewolves, aliens… and vampires?" Elena asked her, trying to see how much she knew without giving too much away.

"Um, random… but okay. Ghosts, yes. Aliens, yes. But vampire's and werewolves… no that's all made up crap for TV and movies." Jolene said.

Elena nodded.

"What's this about?" Jolene asked her.

"I don't want you to keep seeing Damon. Jo, Stefan told me some things… and he's more dangerous than you could imagine." Elena told her.

"Dangerous, how?" She asked.

"I can't really say." Elena admitted.

"Okay. You know what, I'm going home." Jolene said as she stood and started towards the door.

"I think it might be better if you stay here, around other people." Elena called after her.

"Call me if you guys find Vicki." Jolene said as she shut the door behind her.

**((Later That Night))**

Jolene sat on her bed playing a game on her phone when there was a knock at her bedroom door.

"Go away." She called.

"Now that's not very friendly." Damon said as he opened the door.

"Hey." She said, dropping her phone on the bed and looking at him.

"Hey." He said, even though there was a smile on his face she knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she stood and walked over to him.

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. He had been worried Vicki might have hurt her.

"Damon…?" She questioned, not sure what was going on.

"I just needed to know you're okay." He answered honestly.

"I'm fine… why wouldn't I be?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"I am however a little upset you've been ignoring me." She admitted, stepping back and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm sorry. I've been really busy." He said.

"With what?" She questioned.

He was silent. He couldn't exactly tell her that he had accidently turned her best friend into a vampire.

"I really like you, Damon. I love spending time with you… but I'm getting a little sick of all the secrets. Elena said Stefan told her you're really dangerous… I don't even know what to think anymore." She admitted.

"There's just a lot of things you can't understand." He said, stepping closer and holding onto her shoulders.

"Try me. I'm a very accepting person." She pleaded.

"It's not the right time." He told her.

"When is it ever the right time?" She questioned, shaking her head and looking away from him.

"Jolene… I would never hurt you. You need to know that." Damon told her.

"I wasn't worried you would…" She said, confused.

Putting his hands on both of her cheeks he said, "I love you."

Her green eyes widened before she smiled and said, "I love you too, Damon. But I'm not of those girls who you can say that to and it makes everything better. I know something is going on."

He leaned in and kissed her, silencing her questions.

"I will explain everything soon enough. But for now I need to you trust me, don't go near Vicki. It's not safe." He told her.

"She's my best friend… she wouldn't hurt me." Jolene said, more confused than ever.

"She's… unstable." Damon told her.

"How do you even know anything about it? You've hardly even talked to her… what the hell is going on Damon?" She asked.

"I have to go. But please, just stay in the house and be careful." He said, as he kissed her before leaving.

**({}){(})**

**A/N –**_** I hope everyone liked the update! ^_^**_

**Please take a few moments to leave a review, even if it's a small one to just let me know you are still reading. I appreciate them all! **


	9. Halloween

_**Chapter 9 –Halloween**_**-**

**({}){(})**

"I don't know, Caroline. They only costume I have is the one from last year." Jolene said into her phone as she talked to Caroline.

"The evil-slutty fairy? Wear it! You looked totally hot last year." Caroline said.

"I'm just not really in the mood to party. Even if it is Halloween." She said, looking at herself in the mirror in her room.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out with you and Damon… but that's no reason to stop living!" Caroline exclaimed.

"It's not like we've broken up. We've just hit a rough patch." Jolene said.

"He shows up in the middle of the night, tells you he loves and you then to stay away from Vicki, and now's back to not returning your calls. I'm pretty sure that spells end of relationship." Caroline exclaimed.

"You're heartless Caroline." She said, sighing.

"I'm a realist. And I know when one of my best friends needs to get out and have some fun. Plus, you said he told you to stay in the house right? All the more reason to get out there! Stick it to him." Caroline said.

"I'll think about it." She said as she looked at the Halloween costume laid on her bed.

"I better see you there." Caroline said before hanging up the phone.

About a half an hour later Jolene descended the stairs in her house wearing the revealing Halloween costume with pink fishnet tights and leather boots. Her hair was down and curled, her make up dark.

She started the walk towards the party, her step moms car was in the shop so Marlaina was using her car.

She had been walking for about ten minutes when a car pulled up and slowed beside her.

"Get in the car." Tyler said, looking through the passenger window at her.

"No." She said, glancing over at him.

"Come on, Jo. It's just a ride to the party." He said.

"I have a boyfriend." She said, looking back over at him.

"Chill out. I'm offering you a ride to the party… not like I'm asking you to prom." He said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"By the time you make it there in those shoes… you won't be able to dance." He pointed out.

She looked down at the uncomfortable high heel boots and sighed before opening the door and getting in.

"Thanks." She mumbled as she shut the door after her.

They drove in silence for a while before she looked at her phone to see she had a text from Damon telling her to stay away from the Halloween party.

She scoffed and shook her head.

"What?" Tyler asked her.

"It's nothing." She mumbled, still shaking her head.

"Let me guess… Damon?" He asked.

"Wow, what are you… psychic?" She snapped sarcastically at him.

"Simmer down, geez." He said, shaking his head at her.

"Sorry." She breathed out, turning to look out of the window.

"You're too good for him you know." Tyler told her.

"Shut up." She said.

"No I'm serious. I can give you a million reasons." Tyler said.

"Right." She said.

"One, he's too old for you. Two, he's creepy... I mean seriously, the guy's a freak. And three, you're way too hot for him." Tyler said.

"Dude, you are such a player…. It is ridiculous." Jolene said, shaking her head and laughing a little.

"I'm just telling you the truth, Jo." He told her as he pulled up to the party.

"Thanks for the ride, Tyler." She said as she exited the car.

"Let me know if you need a ride a home." He called after her.

"Hey!" Elena called over to her a she walked up.

"Hey." Jolene responded.

Elena looked a Jolene's costume and laughed, "Didn't have time to buy a new one, either?"

Jolene looked down at Elena's nurse costume.

"No, naughty nurse… I didn't." She said, laughing

Elena laughed with her.

"Have you seen Vicki?" Jolene asked her.

Elena's face changed to a look of worry.

"No, I haven't." She lied.

"I'm really worried about her…" Jolene admitted.

"You're a good friend, Jolene." Elena told her.

"I really don't know what she got her hands on this last time… but it must have been really strong. She was talking out of her head… making no sense and she was beyond tripping out." Jolene said.

"What did she tell you?" Elena asked.

"I feel insane even repeating it… but she told me that Damon killed her." Jolene admitted.

"Wow." Elena said, looking down at the ground.

"Then she said… that Damon and Stefan were both… vampires! My god, could you imagine?" She asked laughing a little.

"That's crazy." Elena said, feeling bad for lying to her friend.

"I know! I mean, if you and I were both dating vampire brothers… we'd have to know, right. Not that vampires are real or anything. Just saying." Jolene confided.

"Listen Jo, we really need to talk." Elena said before Caroline interrupted her.

"Jo! You showed up! I've got someone I want you to meet." Caroline said as she looped her arm through Jolene's and led her away from Elena.

Caroline introduced her to a few guys a grade above them when Jolene saw Vicki.

"Excuse me." She said as she walked over to her friend.

Vicki was standing by herself with a cup in her hand.

"Hey!" Jolene exclaimed.

Vicki ignored her.

"Vick? What the hell is going on?" She asked.

Vicki's emotions were even more out of whack since she had been turned.

"Stay away from me." Vicki snapped.

"No, Vick. I'm your friend." Jolene said.

"You're a sad excuse for a friend. You only started hanging out with me to find your next escape from reality. You're pathetic." Vicki snapped.

"What are you drinking?" Jolene exclaimed as she reached for the cup.

Vicki dropped the cup on the ground and held onto Jolene's arm with amazing strength.

"Ow! Let me go. Vick you're hurting me!" Jolene said, helplessly trying to pull her arm back.

Vicki raised her arm to her face and sniffed her wrist.

"I am so hungry… I can't control it." Vicki said, her voice airy as she breathed deeply against her friends' skin.

"Let's go get you something to eat." Jolene said, squirming against Vicki's hold on her.

"I'm sorry." Vicki mumbled before sinking her teeth into Jolene's pale flesh.

Jolene cried out, and whimpered in pain. Pure terror showed in her eyes.

Finally Vicki released her arm and ran off, turning into a blur.

Jolene was frozen in fear for minute. Her head was spinning from the newly learned news. Vicki hadn't lied to her, Damon was a vampire. And now so was Vicki.

Shaking her head and trying to compose herself she brushed the tears away for her face, and ran in the direction Vicki had ran.

She saw Elena trying to open a door to the school.

"Elena!" Jolene cried after her friend.

Elena stopped and looked at Jolene just as Vicki came up from behind Jolene and bit her neck, letting go she quickly grabbed Elena and bit down on the exposed flesh on her shoulder.

Jolene's eyes went to a bucket of wood that had gotten dumped in the fight.

Knowing if she didn't do something Vicki was going to kill Elena, grabbing a jagged piece of wood she plunged it through her friends heart. Pulling the wood back and throwing it on the ground.

Vicki turned and faced her friend, whimpering as she slowly died.

"I'm so sorry…" Jolene cried as she fell the ground with her friend, holding her in her arms as she took her last breath.

"Vicki!" Jeremy yelled.

"Get him home!" Elena told Stefan.

Elena dropped to the ground on the other side of Vicki and looked at Jolene.

"You knew… you knew that Damon and Stefan were vampires. And you knew Damon turned Vicki. You didn't tell me." Jolene cried, looking up at Elena.

"I'm so sorry… I wanted to." Elena cried, looking at her.

"I killed her." Jolene said, looking down at her dead friend.

"You did what you had to! You saved my life; she was going to kill me." Elena said, still crying.

"I shoved a steak through my best friend's heart…" Jolene said, breathing and sobbing loudly.

"You did this." Elena said, looking up to see Damon watching them.

"Go, I'll take care of this." Damon told her.

"Stefan was right, people die around you…" Elena said.

"You are bleeding from your wounds and you need to leave." Damon growled at her.

Backing up she looked down at Jolene.

"Come on." Elena said as she pulled her sobbing friend to her feet.

Jolene looked up at Damon, the terror and pain in her eyes hurt him worse than any weapon could.

"Jolene…" Damon said, taking a step towards her.

"You stay away from her." Elena said as she led Jolene towards the parking lot.

**({}){(})**

_**A/N – I hope you all liked the update. ^_^**_

**Please take a few moments and leave a review to let me know what you think of this chapter. I always appreciate the feedback, and I love hearing from my readers. ^_^ As long I know there is a strong interest in a certain story, I do my best to keep the updates coming.**


	10. Secrets Revealed

_**Chapter 10 –Secrets Revealed**_**-**

**({}){(})**

"I'm so sorry." Elena said again as she drove Jolene home.

"I was so stupid. Everyone told me he's dangerous, there's something off with him. And I ignored it… every single red flag. Every single one… because I didn't want to believe it." Jolene said, wiping a few more tears away from her cheeks.

"I did the same thing… in the beginning with Stefan. I knew… something was wrong. But he was sweet and mysterious and I kept chalking it up to my own paranoia." Elena admitted.

"How long have you known about them?" Jolene asked.

"Not very long." Elena told her.

"Where do I go from here?" Jolene asked, as Elena pulled up in front of her house.

"You have got to stay away from Damon." Elena told her.

"You haven't been staying away from Stefan." Jolene pointed out.

"Stefan feeds on animals… not people. Damon is a killer, remember all those animal attacks?" Elena asked her.

"You mean… all of those missing hikers and all… that was Damon?" Jolene asked, barely able to breath as reality set in further.

"I have to go…" Jolene said as she opened her door.

"Call me or come by if you need anything." Elena said, as she reached over and hugged her friend.

"Same." Jolene said as she exited the car and stumbled up the steps to her porch.

She stopped at her front door, before turning and walking over to their porch swing; she sat down and shivered in the cold night air.

"Hey…" Damon said as he walked up the steps to her porch and stood by the swing.

"Go away." She mumbled, her throat feeling swollen from all the crying.

"I'm sorry. Vicki was an accident." He told her.

"Vicki was my best friend." Jolene said, not able to even look up at him.

"I intended to make her leave you alone, because all she did was cause you pain. I didn't mean to attack her… and I gave her my blood as a last ditch effort to heal her. I had no idea she was going to die with my blood in her system. I am truly sorry, I never wanted to do anything to hurt you." Damon admitted as he sat down beside her.

"It's a little too late for that." She said.

"We can work this out." Damon told her.

Looking over at him she said, "No, we can't. You're a vampire."

"That doesn't change anything… I still love you." He admitted, hoping by some chance she could accept the new information.

"It changes everything…" She said, shaking her head.

"It doesn't have to. I would never hurt you." Damon said.

"You already did! Don't you understand that? No matter where you go people are going to get hurt, they're going to die because that's how you survive. I can't be a part of this." She said, shaking again from the cold night air.

Sliding his leather jacket off and around her he said, "I've been feeding from blood bags, I haven't fed from a person since we got together. I don't want to be the person I was; because of you, I'm better." He told her.

"Those missing hikers… the couple on their way back from the concert…" She reminded him.

"They were all before you." He pointed out.

"Wrong. They were people, Damon. Human beings with families who now have to go on living without them because of you." She said, feeling a few more tears sting her eyes.

"You have no idea how long I have waited to find someone like you. I don't want to be alone anymore." He told her.

Standing up she said, "I'm not the one for you." as she started to walk towards her house.

In an instant he had her pinned against the siding of her house.

Putting his forehead against hers he whispered. "Yes, you are… I don't want anyone else."

"Let me go." She said, squirming against him.

He pressed a hard and desperate kiss to her lips before saying, "I'm sorry."

**((Monday Morning At School))**

"Hey…" Elena said as she stopped Jolene in the hallway.

"Hey, Elena." She said with a smile.

"You look good. How are you?" Elena asked her.

"I'm doing good." Jolene said.

"Did Sherriff Forbes talk to you about Vicki?" Elena asked her.

"Yeah, she did yesterday." Jolene told her.

"What did you say?" Elena asked her.

"I told her the truth, Elena… What else would I have told her?" Jolene asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Elena asked.

"I told her the truth… that Vicki left town and she's not coming back. I mean, I tried to stop her. But really, it's for the best. She's out not making me worry about her 24-7, no more showing up at my house in the middle of the night coming down from a high." Jolene explained, confused by Elena's expression.

"And what about the vampires?" Elena asked her, her voice a whisper.

"Vampires? Geez, Elena, Halloween has come and passed." Jolene said with a laugh as she turned and walked away.

Jolene was sitting in her history class with Stefan when she noticed he kept staring at her.

"Are you okay?" She whispered looking over at Stefan.

Stefan wasn't sure what to ask her, Elena told him that Jolene didn't seem to remember what happened to Vicki.

"What do you remember about the party?" Stefan asked her.

"Umm… well I remember having to wear the same costume as last year. Getting a ride to the school with Tyler, the party kind of sucked. Then I ran into Vicki, she was still wasted on something and she took off… she's not coming back." Jolene told Stefan.

"What did you do after the party?" Stefan asked her.

"That's not really any of your business." Jolene told him.

"Jolene, what did you do after the Halloween party… it's important?" Stefan asked her.

"Fine. If you must know… Damon came over and we spent the night together." She told him.

**((After School))**

"You compelled her?" Stefan asked, walking into the living room with his brother.

Damon didn't respond.

"She has every right to know what you are, every right to know who she is with." Stefan told him.

"It's no different than Elena having me take away Jeremy's suffering… She drove a steak through her best friends heart, I just took her memories away of that." Damon told him.

"And you made her forget what you are." Stefan barked.

"I was helping her." Damon said, as he took a drink from his glass.

"Helping her? No, you did this for your own selfish reasons… because you want to keep her around. Blissfully unaware of the monster you are or the danger she is in." Stefan yelled.

**({}){(})**

**A/N - Thank you for reading the latest chapter! I hope you are all are still loving the story.**

**Please take a moment or so to leave a review! I appreciate them all so much, even if it's just a few lines to let me know you are still reading and enjoying. ^_^ All of your kind words inspire me to keep writing and updating. ^_^**


	11. Party On

_**Chapter 11 –Party On**_**-**

**({}){(})**

Damon rose up on an elbow and looked at Jolene sleeping peacefully beside him in her bedroom. The early morning light showed in her open curtains as he looked around her room.

He still felt bad for compelling her to forget what he was; it bothered him to know he'd have to eventually let her know he was a vampire. He only hoped the second time she found out, it wouldn't be as bad as the first.

He watched her closely as she slowly opened her green eyes and squinted in the harsh lighting.

"Oh my god, close the curtains." She mumbled as she turned over and buried her face in the pillow.

He laughed and pulled her onto her back, his lips lingered over hers before he pressed a heated kiss to her lips.

Smiling at him, she glanced over to her closed bedroom door.

"I really can't believe my dad is so cool with you being here now…" She thought out loud. Damon was silent in response knowing the reason was that he had compelled him.

"I bet he's cheating on Marlaina." She said her green eyes wide.

"What?" Damon asked her, confused.

"He used to not care what I did because he felt bad for cheating on my mom… now he's giving me more freedom than ever. Whatever he's doing… it must be really bad…" She thought out loud.

A little while later Jolene sat on her bed, and watched as Damon stood in front of her full length mirror and buttoned his shirt.

He watched her in the reflection as she looked at her wrist.

"What's wrong?" He asked her.

"Isn't this the strangest looking bruise? I swear… it almost looks like… like a bite or something." She said, looking to the still healing flesh from where Vicki had bit her.

Crawling back on the bed with her, he said. "I almost forgot! I found your bracelet."

She watched as he pulled the silver charm bracelet from his pocket and fastened it on her wrist.

"Where was it?" She asked smiling at having her bracelet back.

"I found it in my room… we must have lost it when…" his voice trailed off as he kissed her again.

**{(})**

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked as he walked up to Jolene and slid an arm around her waist.

She looked around the busy grill at the party, and said "I'm here for the party…"

"It's boring… you should leave." He told her. He hadn't intended on her coming to the party.

"If it's so boring why are you here?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him as they walked towards the bar.

"It's Stefan's birthday." Damon admitted.

They talked for a little while longer before he said, "There's a few things I need to take care of. I'll be back." He told her as he gave her a small kiss before leaving.

Jolene sighed and rested her elbows on the bar, a few minutes later a pretty blonde walked up and looked at the bar tender, "Two shots of tequila." the girl said.

Lexi looked over at the girl sitting beside her; she had just seen her talking to Damon a few moments ago.

"Hi." Lexi said with a friendly smile.

"Hey." Jolene said smiling back.

"You must be Stefan's friend from out of town… Lexi, right?" Jolene asked, with a smile.

"Uh. Yeah…" She replied, looking a little confused.

"Damon told me." Jolene clarified.

"How exactly do you know, Damon?" Lexi asked as she ordered a third shot.

"We've been dating for a while now." Jolene informed her.

Lexi frowned and shook her head, "You're going to need this more than me…" Lexi said as she slid her a shot of tequila.

"What?" Jolene asked confused as the girl walked away without saying anything else.

Jolene eyed the full shot glass in front of her and glanced up at the bar tender before drinking it all in one swallow.

"Back to the dark side?" Caroline asked as she sat down beside Jolene.

"Please, like you don't occasionally drink." Jolene said playfully narrowing her eyes at her.

"I need a drink right about now." Caroline admitted, before ordering drinks for them both. To their surprise the bar tender served them without asking for I.D.

"What's wrong?" Jolene asked her.

"Your boyfriend is a complete ass. First he asks me to throw this party, and then he's pissed because Bonnie won't give me this ugly necklace she has." Caroline confided.

"None of that makes any sense." Jolene said, as she finished off her second shot.

"It doesn't matter… I'm stupid, and shallow." Caroline mumbled as she worked on her third shot.

"What? Who told you that?" Jolene asked, shocked.

"Your ass of a boyfriend… I hate him. You can do so much better, Jo. If he's this mean to your friends he has to be… terrible to you." Caroline said, her words starting to slur.

"He's not… he's sweet and gentle. I don't know why he said that to you…" Jolene admitted, trying to make sense of it all even though her thoughts were jumbled.

After a few more drink Caroline looked up and said, "There's Matt! I want to say hi to Matt."

Jolene stumbled along behind her friend as they made their way to the booth Matt was sitting in.

Caroline fell into the booth by Matt and Jolene crawled into the empty seat facing them.

"Hammered, huh?" Matt asked, looking between the two girls.

Jolene nodded and drank down the rest of her drink before sliding the cup to the side.

"Well, a very nice but not handsome bar tender was very kind to us tonight; unlike the rest of the global universe." Caroline said.

"I'm… going after another…drink." Jolene said but before she could scoot over to the edge of the booth Tyler slid in beside her.

He looked at her and then down to the empty glass.

"Uh-oh… someone's relapsing." He joked.

"Leave her alone… she has every right to drink… her boyfriend is an ass." Caroline said, leaning against Matt.

"What did he do?" Tyler asked Jolene, his eyebrows pushed together in anger.

"Nothing." Jolene said, nodding.

"He was mean to me… everyone is always mean to me…" Caroline whined.

"I just want to go home." Caroline said.

Matt nodded.

"Dude, you're my ride home." Tyler reminded him.

"Jo, how did you get here?" Matt asked her.

"I walked." She admitted, trying to take another drink from her glass before realizing it was empty again.

"Okay, come on… it's gonna be a tight squeeze but we can all fit in my truck." Matt told them.

"I'm… waiting on Damon. He'll take me home." Jolene slurred as she looked all around the grill but didn't see him.

"I don't see him." Tyler pointed out.

"He'll be back… he wouldn't just leave me." Jolene said.

"I'm not leaving you here like this, come on." Matt said to her as he helped Caroline stand up, before ending up having to carry her.

Reluctantly, Jolene stood and only took a few steps before she about fell over.

"Whoa… it's okay." Tyler said as he quickly caught her.

Sliding an arm around her, he held her close to him as she stumbled along with him.

"If Damon see's this… he's gonna be pissed." Jolene mumbled as she leaned more against him to keep from falling over.

"I don't care." Tyler told her honestly as they made their way past Caroline's mom and towards Matt's truck.

"I'll be right back." Matt told them as he got Caroline out of the truck and started to carry her inside.

Jolene sat in silence with Tyler for close to ten minutes when she said, "Do you think he's ever coming out of there?"

"I don't know… I'm gonna check." Tyler said as he got out of the truck and headed inside.

A few minutes later he emerged and opened the door.

'What's going on?" She asked as Tyler helped her out of the truck.

"We're all just going to crash here tonight." He told her as he helped her up the walkway and into the house.

**(())**

Tyler sat down on the couch in Caroline's living room with Jolene.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she felt his hand on her leg.

"Getting your phone." He told her as he pulled it from her pocket.

"Why?" She asked groggily as she started to fade out.

"Texting your dad to tell him you're staying the night at Caroline's…" he admitted as he typed and sent the text. The same way he had done for her before when they both hit the party scene pretty hard.

"You… can be pretty cool sometimes." Jolene said as she looked at him.

"Only sometimes?" Tyler questioned, laughing as he texted his parents saying he was staying at Matt's house.

"Yeah… most of the time you're a dick." She said, her words slurred as she leaned against him and started to fall asleep.

**(())**

Jolene woke up with her head pounding and sick to her stomach. Sitting up she held onto her stomach as she looked over to see Tyler asleep and lightly snoring beside her.

Looking down she saw she had his coat over her.

"Wake up!" Jolene said as she put her hand on his chest and shook him.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"I have to get home… my dad is gonna freak!" Jolene said worried as she looked around for her phone.

"Jo, it's fine… I texted your dad from your phone last night remember? He knows you stayed at Caroline's… doesn't know you were drinking." Tyler said, as he sat up farther.

"No… I don't really remember that. Thank you." She said, smiling at him.

"Then you told me I was cool." He said laughing.

"God, I must have been drunk." She joked, then regretted laughing when the pressure behind her eyes intensified.

Leaning back against the couch cushion she closed her eyes and said, "I'm a mess."

"I've seen you a lot worse off." Tyler said as he turned sideways and faced her.

"I can't believe I got drunk… I only meant to do one shot…" She told him.

"It happens." Tyler agreed.

"Not anymore. I was a changed person… now I screwed it all aback up. Just like I always do." She said keeping her eyes closed with her head rested against the couch.

"Jo, come on… cut yourself some slack! You're best friend just ran away from town, it's understandable you'd be upset…it's not like just because you got drunk once, it's all going to start again." He said as he tossed his jacket onto the coffee table.

"Vicki would have killed to see last night, all she did for months was bug me to drink or take something… said I was boring and lame sober." Jolene said, feeling a strange emptiness when she spoke about Vicki.

"For what it's worth…I like you a lot better sober." Tyler told her.

"Why can't you be like this all the time, Ty?" She asked looking at him. They had several moments over the years where they had gotten close and bonded.

"Cuz' I'm a dick." He reminded her.

"Yes, in front of everyone else… you are. But I know different." She said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"They won't believe you." He said with a small laugh.

"Our little secret." Jolene said as she pulled her phone from his pocket.

"Have you heard anything from Vick since she left?" Jolene asked him.

He shook his head no.

"Me either… it's weird… I don't know how to explain it. But I don't feel like she ran away, I can't remember what happened, but there's like this empty void; just doesn't feel right." Jolene confided.

"Everyone says she ran away, even Matt." Tyler reminded her.

"I know… I just have this weird feeling." Jolene said closing her eyes as her headache started again.

**((The next day…))**

Jolene looked out of her bedroom window to see Stefan pacing on the sidewalk in front of her house.

"Stefan? What's wrong? Is Damon okay?" Jolene asked opening the front door.

Stefan had been out there for almost an hour, he was debating on whether he should tell Jolene the truth about Damon or not. His blood was boiling from Damon killing Lexi the prior night, but he knew it wasn't right to take it out on her.

He was about ready to leave when she came to the door.

"Damon is the problem." Stefan said, his eyes dark as he spoke.

"What are you talking about? It's kind of cold out here… come inside." Jolene said as she stepped to the side.

Stefan walked through the door and said, "I shouldn't be here…"

"What's going on? What happened?" She asked, getting worried.

"Lexi's dead." Stefan admitted as he faced away from her.

She looked at his tensed shoulders. "What?" She gasped.

"Damon killed her." Stefan continued.

"That's… crazy." She said, shaking her head back and forth.

"Take your bracelet off." Stefan instructed her.

"I can't… I don't know why." She admitted, running her fingers over the silver charms.

"Damon has hurt enough people, he's hurt me too many times. You need to know the truth, take your bracelet off." Stefan said again, his voice almost had a growl to it.

"I said I can't." Jolene said, taking a few steps back and pulling her phone from her pocket.

In an instant he grabbed her phone and threw it against a far wall, causing it to break into pieces and the glass screen to shatter.

"Stefan… you're scaring me." She said her breathing heavy as she looked at him.

"Don't you get it? I'm not the one you need to be afraid of…. It's Damon." Stefan said, taken over by anger as he slammed her against the wall and ripped the bracelet from her wrist.

She whined in pain as he kept her pinned.

"Remember everything, Jolene. Damon tried to make you forget… but you need to remember. Remember what he is…" Stefan used every ounce of power her had to reverse the compulsion that his brother had her under.

After a few minutes her eyes widened with fear… "Vampire." She breathed out.

Stepping back he released his hold on her, but she didn't try to run.

"He's a monster." Stefan told her.

"He… loves me." Jolene said, shaking her head back and forth.

"He's incapable. He's using you because you come from a long line of witches… you could be one." He informed her.

Jolene wrapped her arms around her stomach as she started to cry. "I killed Vicki…"

She dropped to the floor, and her loud cries filled the large living room. Stefan's blind rage was broken and he looked at her, immediately feeling bad for what he had done.

"Jo… I'm sorry… T…" He started to apologize and took a few steps towards her. But she scooted fearfully back from him on the floor.

"You're a vampire too." She realized as more of her lost memories came flooding back.

"But you don't feed from humans." She went on as her and Elena's conversation came back.

"Why couldn't I remember any of this?" She asked, still sobbing.

Kneeling down beside her he said, "He compelled you to forget what he is… because he's selfish."

"This is impossible." Jolene said as she shook her head back and forth.

"I shouldn't have told you like this… I'm sorry." Stefan said, disappointed at himself for losing control.

"Vicki's dead…" Jolene said as the tears started again.

Just then the front door opened.

"Jolene? Oh my god, are you okay?" Marlaina asked her stepdaughter.

Stefan looked at Jolene wide eyed.

"You need to go before I call the cops." Marlaina said, looking at Stefan.

"It's okay, Marlaina. Damon and I had a fight and Stefan was coming to check on me." Jolene lied, afraid Stefan might hurt her stepmom if she suspected anything.

"I still think he needs to leave." Marlaina said, not buying her story.

**({}){(})**

**A/N** _**– Thanks for reading guys! ^_^ I really hope you all liked the chapter.**_

_**I'd like to take a minute to thank everyone who has added this story to their favorites and/or subscribed for alerts! ^_^**_

_**I also have 2 other Vampire Dairies stories, 'Born to Die' and 'Blanket of Fear'.**_

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let me know you are still reading and (hopefully) enjoying the story. I appreciate them all so much! Even if it's just a few lines to let me know you are still reading. ^_^**


	12. It's For The Last Time Dance,Dance

_**Chapter 12 –It's For The Last Time. Dance,Dance**_**-**

**({}){(})**

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked as he opened the door to see Jolene.

"I need to talk to Damon." She said her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying.

"I don't think that's a good idea… listen, Jolene… I made a terrible mistake earlier today by doing that to you. It was dangerous and foolish… you're my friend and I didn't want to hurt you." Stefan apologized; he was still in shock at himself for losing control.

"Jo?" Damon asked as he walked up onto the porch.

Stefan looked back and forth at them before retreating back inside his house and closing the door.

"How could you do it, Damon?" She asked feeling like she was going to cry but her eyes burned from lack of tears now. She was pretty sure she had cried all anyone could in a day.

"Do what?" He asked confused, taking a step towards her.

Instinctively she backed up.

"Jolene?" He asked.

"Lie to me about what you are? Turn Vicki? Use mind control on me? Any of it?" She asked her voice a little frantic as she spoke.

Damon was quiet as he watched her in the dim lighting on their front porch, he had caught the very end of her and Stefan's talk and he knew his brother must have compelled her to remember.

"I'm sorry." He told her, his words honest.

"About which one?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"All of it… Jolene, if I could take it all back I would. I love you and I never wanted to do anything to hurt you." He told her.

"You being a vampire, I might have been able to handle… after a while. But I could have dealt with it. Because I really thought what we had was real, but you used a power against me. You got into my head, and you mixed things up so I would go along with you, not knowing anything." She said, shaking her head.

"I took away your suffering, your memories of what happened to Vicki." Damon told her.

"And you had absolutely no right to… Stefan told me why you even started to be around me, because I'm a Proctor and therefore I might be a witch. Well, guess what? I'm not a witch and you wasted your time." She said, rubbing her eyes as they burned.

"He's wrong." Damon said not sure what else he could say to defend himself.

"I don't know what to believe any more! All I know is that we can't be together… not anymore." She said, shaking her head as she took a few steps back towards the end of the porch.

"I am sorry. But Jolene, I love you! Because of you I'm better than I used to be, don't you see that? You've helped me just by being you… I can't lose that. I can't lose you." He said, his eyes pleaded with hers.

"Stay away from me, Damon. It's too late…" She said, as she turned and went to her car and headed home.

**((A Week Later))**

"Come on… you can't just lay in bed all day! There's a dance tonight!" Caroline exclaimed excitedly, as she sat down on Jolene's bed.

"Leave me alone, Care." She said, burying her face in her pillow.

"So things didn't work out? So what? Get out there and have some fun! Didn't you feel better when you went to the Halloween party?" Caroline asked, trying to help her feel better.

Jolene cringed, the Halloween party was the night she had killed Vicki.

"You love the 50's! You've got a cd set of the music! Come on, you have to come with me!" Caroline begged.

"I don't have a date." Jolene argued.

"So call Tyler." Caroline said.

"Isn't he going with that girl from 4th period with the huge nose? What's her name? Dorothy?" Jolene thought out loud.

"Darcy? Eww! He'll dump her in a minute to go with you. He's only had a crush on you since kindergarten." Caroline said as she pulled her phone out and put it on speaker.

"Don't!' Jolene exclaimed, but it was already ringing.

"Hello?" Tyler answered his phone.

"Tyler, please tell me you're not going to the dance with Darcy Baker? Her nose is the size of Texas… she could poke your eye out with that thing." Caroline said.

"Her nose isn't that bad…" Tyler said.

"You are so mean." Jolene said shaking her head, but not able to stop a small smile at Caroline's words.

Slightly covering the mouth-piece on the phone, Caroline said "Whatever. We all know she made your life hell in 8th grade when you got that hideous haircut."

"What? Is someone there with you?" Tyler asked her.

"It's Jolene… and she needs a date for the dance." Caroline told him.

"It's fine, Ty. Just take Darcy." Jolene said, glaring at Caroline.

"Damon and her are over, and she's been in bed moping for a week now." Caroline told him.

"Thanks, Care. Real considerate." Jolene breathed as she pulled the blanket up over her head.

"Well it's about time she dumped the loser…" Tyler said.

"Not exactly how it went down." Jolene muttered from under the blanket.

"Are you going to take Jolene to the dance or what?" Caroline asked.

"I'm calling Darcy now. Tell Jo I'll be there at 6." He said.

"As friends!" Jolene yelled loud enough for him to hear.

"That's the thanks I get for agreeing to take your mopey ass to the dance?" Tyler joked, as he hung up the phone.

**(())**

"So what happened with you and Elena?" Caroline asked, as she helped Jolene curl the back of her hair with a curling iron as they got ready for the dance.

"Nothing." Jolene said, as she tested two different blue eye shadows on the back of her hand.

"You haven't talked to her since you and Damon broke up." Caroline pointed out.

"I'm just… I don't know, a little upset with her… she knew some thing's and didn't tell me." Jolene spilled the half-truth. She was upset that Elena hadn't told her anything about Damon or what really happened to Vicki.

"What about you and Matt?" Jolene asked. "Ever since that night we got trashed at the grill you've been hanging out more."

"Is it really weird? I mean… with him and Elena having dated… is it too weird?" Caroline asked as she pinned her own hair up.

"If it's what you want… than no. I think you should go for it." Jolene told her friend.

"Alright, well I'm heading over to Bonnie's to pick her up for the dance. Tyler should be here any minute."

"If you're going with Bonnie, than how come I can't tag along with you?" Jolene asked.

"You were bummed because you didn't have a date. Plus, if I know anything about guys, and I do… if Damon shows up at the dance as a chaperone or something… you can't be single. It would reek of desperate broken hearted ex-girlfriend. You need to show him you've moved on." Caroline said as she grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

"You really don't know what happened between me and Damon…" Jolene said as she sat down on the side of her bed.

"No, I don't… because you won't tell me. But, Jo you are one of my best friends and I know what you need. If you keep sulking around your room with the curtains drawn, you're going to fall back into your old ways. You need to get out, have fun and get your mind off of Damon. There's more to life than guys." Caroline said, smiling at her friend.

"That means nothing coming from you Care; your entire world revolves around your crush of the week." Jolene reminded her friend.

"Now who's being mean?" Caroline asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm sorry." Jolene said, frowning.

"It's fine. You're upset. Just… get your ass to the dance and have a good time, okay? I'll meet up with you there… save me a dance!" Caroline called over her shoulder as she headed down the stairs of Jolene's house.

**({}) **

"Hey! How's it going?" Caroline asked as she walked up beside where Jolene and Tyler were dancing; it was a slow song and Jolene had her head rested on Tyler's shoulder as they swayed with the music.

"She's moping." Tyler pointed out.

"Well, it's about to get worse… Damon is here." Caroline warned her friend.

"What?" Jolene asked as she raised her head up and looked around.

"I guess he's chaperoning or something. He didn't even dress up." Caroline said, with a slight eye roll.

"I don't want to see him." Jolene admitted, feeling tears starting to sting her eyes.

"Oh no you don't, you are not going to cry! You spent forever getting that eyeliner perfect. He's not worth the waste of make-up." She said as she put her hand on both their backs pushing them back together.

Tyler wrapped his arms around her again, and she rested her head back on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I'm such a terrible date. You really should have came with Darcy, she's probably more fun." Jolene said as she closed her eyes, really hoping she wouldn't see Damon.

"Nah. I'd rather be here with you." He said as he lightly rubbed her back.

"Really?" Jolene asked as she held onto his shoulders.

"Yeah. I mean… like Caroline said, I could have lost an eye if I'd went with her." Tyler joked, trying to make her laugh.

"Oh my god, that's terrible." She said, laughing.

"I'm gonna get some punch… you want any?" She asked as she stepped back.

"No thanks. I'm gonna go talk to one of the guys for a little." He told her.

**(())**

"Thanks Jer." Jolene said as Jeremy handed her a glass of punch.

"Question. Why are you dancing with Tyler Lockwood?" Jeremy asked her raising an eyebrow.

"He's my date." Jolene admitted.

Jeremy served a couple their glasses of punch and then said, "You just went from one jerk to another."

"What happened with you and Damon anyways?" Jeremy asked her.

"You couldn't even begin to understand." Jolene said, her green eyes sad as she looked at him.

"Damon Salvatore?" A girl with dark hair questioned as she walked up to them.

"Jolene, this my friend Anna." Jeremy introduced them.

"I haven't seen you around before…" Jolene said looking at her confused.

"Home schooled." She explained.

"Oh, that sounds like it sucks." Jolene sympathized.

"Yeah, this is the first dance I've ever been to! I should have dressed up." Anna said with a laugh.

"So, you were dating Damon Salvatore? What happened?" The girl pried.

"You know, normal guy stuff… I love you, but lied to you… all should be forgiven even though I hurt you. Blah, blah, blah." Jolene said, avoiding her eyes as she spoke.

Jolene looked back and forth between the younger teens. "Well, I'm going to leave you guys alone. Have fun at your first high school dance, Anna." Jolene said with a friendly smile as she walked away.

Another slow song started to play over the speakers and Jolene sighed when Tyler was nowhere to be found.

As she started to turn around a pair of arms landed around her waist.

Startled she looked to see Damon.

Slowly raising her arms she rested them on his shoulders as they swayed to the slow music.

"You look great." He said, eyeing her new form fitting dress.

"What do you want, Damon?" She asked, trying not to look at him.

"To talk." He admitted.

"There isn't anything to talk about. You broke my trust, Damon. You really hurt me." She said, wishing Caroline was there again to tell her not to cry.

"I didn't mean to. Jo, I haven't felt this way about someone in over a century. No, I didn't really even feel this way back then. I thought I knew what love was, but I didn't… not until I met you." Damon spoke from his heart as he looked at her.

"I wish I could believe that…" Jolene said as she locked her wrists behind his neck and stepped a little closer to him.

"You can." Damon told her.

"I can't just take your word… you really have no idea how much you hurt me." She said, shaking her head.

"I know where Katherine is…" Damon told her.

"And you're telling me why? To make me jealous… to try and hurt me?" She asked, stepping back some.

"No. I have known for a while. But I didn't go after her because I had you… I love you more than I ever loved her." Damon said, trying to tell her how much he cared about her.

Pushing his hands off of her she stepped back with a look of shock on her face.

"So that's my ultimatum? Either I forgive and forget or you're going to get Katherine? You've loved her for over a hundred years… how can I begin to compete with that?" She questioned as a few tears stung her eyes.

"No, Jolene. That's not what I meant…" He said, knowing it had come out all wrong.

Shaking her head she turned and started to walk away when Damon appeared in front of her.

"People are going to see." She warned, as he had moved faster than humanly possible to get in front of her again.

"At least put this back on." He said as he handed her the vervain filled bracelet.

"You can take that bracelet and shove it up…" She started to say, but he cut her off.

"For your own protection." He said.

"What?" She asked confused.

He pointed to the small charm filled with vervain. "It has a special herb in it, as long as it's on you… no vampire can compel you."

"But you did…" She said, confused.

"I took it off of you first." He admitted.

"I don't want it." She said shaking her head and pushing his arms back towards himself.

"Stefan and I aren't the only vampires in Mystic Falls. You need to be careful and this bracelet can help you." Damon told her, holding the bracelet back out to her.

She held her wrist out, allowing him to re-clasp it on her.

"Jolene…" Damon started to try and talk again.

"No, Damon. I can't do this…" She said shaking her head as she quickly walked away.

**((A Few Days Later…))**

"Jolene." Stefan said as he stood inside of her bedroom by the open window.

"Get out." She said as she opened a bottle of pain pills and took a few of them.

"I was wrong, about what I said." Stefan told her as he walked over and sat on the bed with her.

He watched as she chased the pills with a bottle of beer.

"I thought it was impossible for Damon to feel… I really lost hope that he had even a shred of humanity left in him. But I was wrong Jolene, he loves you." Stefan told her

"Right." She mumbled leaning sideways and pulling another bottle from under her bed and used the side of her bedside table to open the lid.

"He's hurting Jolene, over you. And because of that he's on the verge of doing something very dangerous. There is a tomb of vampires under the city… that's where Katherine is." Stefan told her.

"Good for him, he's finally getting what he wants. Cheers." She said holding her bottle up before taking another long drink.

"He wants you. He's doing this in retaliation… to hurt everyone because he's hurting. You have to stop him." Stefan pleaded with her.

"I don't have to do anything, Stefan." She said, getting angry.

"Jolene…" his words were cut short by a splitting pain that shot through his head. He saw her concentrated on him with her eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing?" He asked, holding onto his head as he fell to the floor in pain.

Her eyes widened. "I don't know." She admitted.

"Looks like maybe you really are a witch." Stefan observed.

"No." She said shaking her head. She was in denial over it, but had known for years something was a little different with her. Sometimes things happened that she couldn't explain, and she had always brushed it off. But now knowing that she came from a long lineage of witches, it had got her thinking.

"Get out." She said again.

"If that tomb gets opened, and those vampires escape they are going to punish the townspeople of today for what happened to them a long time ago. This is your friends and family we're talking about." Stefan pleaded with her.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to come to town to court Elena. You said yourself everywhere you go Damon follows and leaves a trail of blood and pain in his wake. Their blood is on you, not me." Jolene said, her eyes narrowed again as she finished off her second bottle of beer.

_**({}){(})**_

_**A/N – What did you all think of the chapter? I hope you all really liked it! Thanks for reading. ^_^ This was originally chapters 12 and 13, but they both were a little short so I combined them into 1 longer chapter… hope you don't mind.**_

**If you are liking what you're reading please take a few moments to leave a review and let me know. Your kind words inspire me to keep writing and get these chapters posted in a timely matter. ^_^**


	13. Hostage

_**Chapter 13 –Hostage**_**-**

**({}){(})**

"Can I help you?" Jolene asked as she opened the door, surprised to see Ben, an ex-football player who graduated a few years ago and now worked at the grill.

"Hey…my car broke down, is there any way I could come inside and use the phone… maybe get something to drink?" He asked with a friendly smile.

"Sure, come on in." She said, as she stepped to the side to let him in.

As he walked in, Jolene looked outside in the dark night as she started to shut the door when everything went black.

She woke up the next morning and looked over to see Elena passed out in the bed beside her.

Slowly she shook her friend awake and motioned for her to be quiet as the pair slowly made their way to the door.

A girl blocked their exit, and forced Elena into the bathroom.

"Anna?" Jolene questioned, recognizing the girl who was talking to Jeremy at the 50's dance.

"We need to talk." She said, pointing for Jolene to sit down on the foot of one of the beds.

"What do you want?" Jolene asked her.

"You are leverage… As long I have you, Damon will help me get into that tomb." Anna explained.

"Ha, you're barking up the wrong tree… Damon already wants into that tomb to get Katherine; he couldn't care less about me." Jolene said, her eyes taking on a sad hue as she spoke.

"He wants her out of there because you broke his heart and eternity sucks when you have to spend it alone." Anna teased, a smirk on her face.

"I've seen the way he looks at you… how he pines after you. He always was a love-struck idiot. He won't screw me over if he knows your ass is on the line. Plus, I figure between you and the Bennet witch, we'll have enough power to open the tomb." Anna explained.

"The Proctor witches were never that widely known, not like the Bennet's. The Proctors we're pretty much a bunch of thieves and drunks. But any power is better than none." Anna told her.

"Sounds like my family hasn't changed much." Jolene sighed.

"I don't have any developed powers, and I'm a pretty terrible bargaining chip. I'm pretty much useless." Jolene pointed out.

"Well, you better hope that's not true… everyone has a purpose to serve, if you're useless there's no point for you to be alive." Anna told her.

Jolene's eyes widened.

After Anna called Stefan, she left to meet Damon to discuss the plan.

Bonnie tried to use her powers to set Ben on fire, but he quickly put the fire out and trapped them again.

"I have to pee." Jolene announced to the room.

"Bathrooms right there." Ben said annoyed as he pointed to it.

Jolene stood in the bathroom trying to think of a plan when her eyes stopped on a large wood framed picture above the toilet.

She quickly flushed the toilet and quietly removed the tank cover, and pulled the rubber stopper out so the toilet wouldn't shut off and she'd have background noise.

She pulled the picture from the wall and broke the frame until she had a sharp point on a long, sturdy piece of the frame.

"Hey!" Been yelled as he knocked on the door; hiding the stake behind her she opened the door.

"About time." He groaned as he turned and started to walk away.

Walking right up behind him, she said, "Wait… Ben."

"What?" He asked as he turned.

Without giving it another thought she plunged the wood stake through his heart and he fell to the ground dead.

"Jo!" Bonnie and Elena both yelled as they ran up to her and hugged her.

Just then the door to the room flew open; Stefan looked at the dead vampire on the floor and to the three girls huddled together.

"Who killed him?" Stefan asked.

"Second one." Jolene muttered shaking her head at the thought of how she had now killed two vampires.

"Jolene…" Stefan started to talk, but she pushed Bonnie and Elena off of her.

"I'm done… with all of this. With all of you." She said as she started towards the door.

"If you leave Jolene, I can't protect you. Come back with us to Bonnie's grandmothers to figure out a plan." Elena begged her longtime friend.

Ignoring their pleas she left the hotel room and started to walk back into town.

"Jolene, wait." Stefan said as he lightly grabbed her arm, causing her to come to a stop.

Pulling her arm away from his grip she crossed them over her chest.

"Damon loves you… he will listen to you if you try to talk to him." Stefan told her.

"I'm done talking. I'm done staking vampires. I'm done with everyone lying to me, and this shit-hole town. I wish you and Damon had never came here." Jolene snapped her voice as cold as ice.

Stefan looked at her, surprise apparent on his face.

Quickly turning and walking away Jolene was shocked at herself for what she had said, but her head was spinning and she just wanted to get away from everyone and everything that was hurting her.

**~()~**

"Jo, what's up? I'm a little busy…" Her dad said as he walked out into the waiting room of the hospital emergency room to face his teenage daughter.

"I… I'm leaving." She said, her emerald green eyes rimmed with red from crying.

"What?" He asked as he led her back into one of the empty rooms, away from the prying eyes of the town's people waiting in the hospital.

"I'm going to live with mom." Jolene bravely said.

Her dad's nose crinkled up as she spoke in close proximity to him.

"Have you been drinking?" He asked her.

"Just a little." She admitted, not sure why she told the truth.

"Damnit, Jolene." He breathed out as he ran a hand through his hair.

"How do you think your mother is going to support you? The woman isn't stable enough to support herself!" Marshall exclaimed letting his anger show.

"Well, like you said before… I'm just like her. I'm sure we'll figure something out, I can get a job." Jolene said.

"Right… Jolene you've never had to work a day in your life. Plus, how do you think you're going to pass a drug test?" He questioned, as he checked his phone and slid it back into his pocket on his white doctor lab jacket.

"You've always underestimated me." Jolene said, rubbing her raw eyes.

"Jolene, its night time… you've been drinking. I'll take you home and we can talk about all of this tomorrow when you're sober." Marshall said as he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder to lead her back through the hospital.

She backed away from his touch.

"I'm leaving for moms, tonight." Jolene said.

"I'm your father, I'm not going to let you get behind the wheel of a car when you're under the influence of alcohol and god only knows what else." His tone was stern. It angered her that he was trying to exhibit some sort of control over her.

"You try and stop me… I'll tell everyone how you abused your privileges as a doctor." She snapped.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, his voice a little apprehensive.

"I'll air your dirty laundry, tell everyone how you used to write mom prescriptions for pills to keep her complacent when she'd start going through withdrawls. You can lose your license for that! You really think Marlana is still going to want you if you're broke?" Jolene asked, her voice venom laced as she pulled out all the stops to make sure it would be a clean break and he'd let her walk away.

He was silent, as his eyes searched her face for any sigh of a bluff. After deciding she wasn't joking, he shook his head and left the room.

After loading her packed bags in the back of her white Ford Explorer, she got in her car rock music blasting through the speakers as she started to make the journey to her mom's house a few towns over.

Taking her hand off the steering wheel, she rubbed her eyes again when she opened them she saw a car coming at her head on, veering over into her lane.

In a split second decision she swerved to the right, tires squealing as they skidded off the pavement.

**({}){(})**

_**A/N – Sorry I've been terrible with the updates! I finally got moved and settled in, but now with school starting and some other things I've not had the time to write like I used to.**_

_**Updates might be a little slow, but this is one story I love writing and I don't plan on ending anytime soon. I hope you all love reading it as much as I love to write it.**_

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let me know if you are still reading and enjoying the story. I appreciate them all so much, and all of your kind words inspire me to keep writing. ^_^**


	14. Scene of the Crime

_**Chapter 14 –Scene of the Crime.**_**-**

**({}){(})**

"Oh my god! I am so sorry! Are you okay?" A male voice yelled as he neared her car.

Jolene raised her head from the steering wheel and wiped her hand over her forehead, pulling it back to reveal blood covered fingers and the salty, copper scent of blood.

Looking forward she saw she had hit a telephone pole.

"Shit." She muttered as she tried to start the car, but it wouldn't make any noise at all.

"Jolene?" Tyler asked in shock as he stood by her car. He couldn't believe he had almost wrecked with someone he knew.

"Oh shit Jo! You're bleeding! I'm gonna call 911! Don't move!" He yelled, his eyes wide.

"I swear to god Tyler, if you involve the cops I will kick your ass." She said as she opened her door and turned sideways to get some air from the open door.

He looked at her confused.

"I at least need to get you to a hospital… you're bleeding." He pointed out as he stepped closer, using his cellphone for light in the darkness to see her wound better.

"What the hell were you doing in my lane? I'm the one who's been drinking and even I can manage to stay within the lines." She snapped, as she rubbed the gash on her forehead again.

"Just let me take you to the hospital, Jo." Tyler plead with her, as he removed his t-shirt and pressed it to her head, trying to stop the bleeding.

Her slightly blurry eyes traced their way up and down his muscle ripped stomach and chest.

"I can't go to the hospital, Tyler. My dad's working tonight and I just told him I'm leaving town." She admitted as she put her hand over his and pressed the soft fabric closer to her face, she could smell the faint remaining traces of his body wash and cologne.

"What?" Tyler asked, shocked that she was leaving.

"I can't stay here… not anymore. I'm going to live with my mom, since you just tried to kill me; I think you owe me a ride there." Jolene said.

"You hit your head; you could have a concussion or something." He pointed out.

"Why were you in my lane anyway?" She asked, her mouth dry as she spoke.

"I dropped my phone in the passenger floorboard…" He admitted, feeling stupid for how much trouble it had caused.

As a car drove by it slowed and the driver looked at them.

"We have to get out of here before someone calls the cops." She said as she tried to stand and got dizzy.

"Whoa." Tyler said as he grabbed onto her arms to steady her.

Leaning against his firm, warm bare skin she said. "You are way hotter than I give you credit for."

Shaking his head Tyler looked at her face, trying to decipher the look in her eyes.

"You're using again aren't you?" He asked her.

"What makes you say that?" She asked, trying to steady her voice so none of her words would run together.

"That's the only time you ever want anything to do with me." Tyler pointed out.

After getting Jolene and her bags packed into his car, Tyler got into the driver's seat and Jolene started to give him directions to her mom's house.

"Why are you wanting to leave town anyway?" Tyler asked her, as he turned on the radio at a low volume.

She didn't answer.

"It's Damon isn't it?" He pushed for answers.

"I just hate Mystic Falls and everyone in it." She said, through gritted teeth as she thought of all the pain she had endured in the town.

"Including me?" Tyler asked, looking over at her.

"Some days." She answered vaguely as she looked out of her window at the almost starless sky.

"Not fair, we used to be great friends." Tyler reminded her.

"Yeah, years ago, Lockwood." She mumbled under her breath as she reached over and turned the radio up on a Three Days Grace song.

Just as quickly he turned the volume back down.

"I miss it, you know." He admitted, glancing over at her.

"Really Ty? You're going to pick now to get all sentimental on me?" She asked as she pulled the bloodstained t-shirt away from her head and looked at it.

"What even happened anyway?" He asked, trying to rack his brain for what had come between the two friends.

"You're joking, right?" She asked.

"No." Tyler admitted.

"Summer before freshman year, ring a bell? You know, we got into your parent's liquor cabinet one night when they were visiting your aunt…" Her voice trailed off.

Tyler was silent as he felt like a complete jerk for even bringing it up.

"We lost our virginities to each other?" She blurted out.

"I got it, Jo." Tyler said his voice low.

"Which you know wouldn't have been that bad if you hadn't have told everyone. See… while you got to start your freshman year as a rock star, I was called a slut and you did absolutely nothing to stop the rumors." She snapped, anger over the whole event flooding back.

They were silent, for a while before Jolene said, "Take that left."

Tyler nodded and turned down the road she had instructed him to.

"Jo, I really am sorry about that. I was a complete jackass, you didn't deserve that." Tyler said, looking back over at her.

"You know… sometimes I really wonder how different things would have been if that night never happened…" Tyler admitted.

"Yeah?" Jolene asked, looking over at him.

"I mean like…we were always so good as friends, and you've always had a massive crush on me." Tyler said, smiling.

"Is that so?" Jolene asked, laughing knowing he had been the one with the crush on her.

Their conversation was silenced as Tyler drove them through a 24 hour drive-thru to get her a coffee, as the alcohol started to leave her system.

Breaking the silence she asked, "Do you think if we had waited, that maybe we would you know… like be together?"

He shrugged.

"I always thought we would have been." He admitted.

Taking a sip of the hot, strong coffee she said, "I know, right. But we just screwed it all up."

"And you turned into our schools biggest player-slash-manwhore." Jolene said, even though it was a joke he could hear a twinge of attitude in her voice.

"And you developed a drug habit, and a Damon habit. Seriously Jo, I really don't know what you saw in him." Tyler couldn't stop the words as they came out of his mouth.

Jolene cringed at Damon's name.

"How many times do I have to tell you… there are things you don't understand about us…" Her voice trailed off as she realized the word _us_, didn't apply to her and Damon any longer.

A sudden sense of anger surged through Tyler's blood, and he kept talking. "And you're back to your old habits because of that dick."

"Shut up." Jolene breathed out, not wanting to hear another word about Damon.

Tyler's knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel hard and tried to calm himself down.

"Why do you do that?" She asked, shaking her head angrily at him.

"Do what?" He asked her as he checked his mirrors and switched lanes on the empty stretch of highway.

"You have serious anger problems. I think you get them from your dad." She snapped, wishing immediately she hadn't said anything.

She could feel the mood in the car shift from uneasy to pure rage.

"Ty, I'm so sorry… I didn't mean it." Jolene breathed out, sadness filled her voice.

He didn't respond, but she could see his jaw tensing in anger.

"Tyler?" Jolene asked, alarmed at his silence.

He was still silent as he pushed his foot down harder on the accelerator.

Jolene tried to calm her own nerves as she glanced over at his speedometer, it was reading at a clear 80mph and still rising.

"Tyler, you need to slow down… the speed limit is only 50." She reminded him, as a steady fear rose in her stomach.

He looked entirely lost in his own thoughts, as if he were the only one in the car.

"Tyler!" Jolene yelled.

Still no response.

"Stop the car!" Jolene yelled, her voice revealed every ounce of anger and panic she was feeling and she regretted getting in the car with him.

"Damnit Tyler!" She yelled as she angrily hit his arm, causing him to turn the wheel and slide over into the other lane.

Thankfully the opposite lane was empty but it jerked him back to his senses.

Trying to stop the car from going off the road, he stomped on the breaks. The sudden change in velocity did more harm than good, as it caused the car to spin in circles as he tried to get back into their lane.

Finally the car came to a complete stop. Jolene yelled in pain when the seatbelt violently pulled her back in her seat and left a raised welt on the side of her neck.

"What the hell?" She shrieked as her fingers fumbled trying to find the seatbelt release.

**({}){(})**

_**A/N - It's good to see I've still go readers and fans for this story! Thank you all so much for being patient with me and forgiving my slow updates.**_

**If you're still reading please take just a few moments to leave a review, even if it's just a few lines to let me know you're still with me. I appreciate it all so much, and your kind words are inspiring me to keep writing and to get the updates posted soon.**


	15. Save Tonight

_**Chapter 15 –Save Tonight.**_**-**

**({}){(})**

Jolene angrily stormed off down the side of the road, quickening her pace as she heard even heavier footsteps behind her.

"Jolene, stop!" Tyler yelled.

Stopping she turned to face him as he approached her.

"Why should I? That was the second time tonight you almost killed me with a car. I'm really not gunning for a third." She shot.

"I don't know." He said, a slightly broken look in his eyes as he shrugged and looked down to the painted white line marking the side of the road.

"You don't know what?" Jolene asked.

"Why I get so angry… I can't explain it Jo. It's just like something flips inside of me and all I can see is red. I lose all track of time and my blood feels like it's literally boiling!" Tyler admitted.

She wanted to continue to yell at him, but she knew he was being honest with her and her expression softened.

Jolene crossed her arms over her chest as she slowly walked back towards him.

"I'm sorry." He said as she walked past him and got back into his car.

They remained silent until Jolene said, "Turn there."

Tyler obeyed and turned down a street; as he drove slowly down the street he looked at the run down houses and people sitting on their porches and out in their yards.

"What's going on?" Tyler asked her.

"I don't know… I mean, it is a Friday. And this city is a lot bigger than Mystic Falls." Jolene reasoned.

"I guess… it looks real shady." Tyler admitted.

"It's that house up there, 1982 Key lane." Jolene said the address as they pulled up to a house, slightly bigger than the immediate surrounding ones.

"You are going to live here?" Tyler asked her, shocked at how unsafe the house and the neighborhood looked.

"Yeah, I guess so." She said as he pulled to a stop and she opened her door.

Jolene knocked on the door, and Tyler stayed by his car for a moment before joining her up at the house.

"Just a second… I'm getting the money!" Jolene heard her mom yell.

"Mom?" Jolene yelled as she opened the door.

"Jolene?" Her mom yelled excitedly.

"Oh my god." Jolene breathed out, as she looked at her mom's roughed up appearance. She had black eye and her arms were covered in bruises.

Her mom's strawberry blonde hair was unkempt and tangled as it framed her heart shaped face with her sunken in green eyes.

"Well, come here baby!" Her mom said, as she held her arms open for a hug.

Jolene cautiously walked forward, she knew by looking at her mom that she was higher than a kite.

Jolene gasped as she hugged her mom, she couldn't see it to well through her baggy clothes, but her mom felt like just skin and bones.

Her heart sank as she laid her head on her mom's boney shoulder. The last time she had seen her mom was over a year ago right after her parents' divorce when she had bought the house. She had promised she was going to get herself cleaned up.

"Tyler? Look at you! You're all grown up!" Her mom Rachel said as she let go of her daughter and looked at him.

"It's only been like a year since you saw me…" Tyler pointed out, as his eyes went to the coffee table covered in drug paraphernalia.

"None of that is mine." Rachel said quickly, as she nervously kept tucking her hair behind her ear.

After the trio stood in silence for a few moments, Tyler said, "Uh… the coffee I drank finally hit me… bathroom?"

Rachel pointed him in the direction of the bathroom; it was at the very back of the house.

Just as he had gotten down the hallway there was a knock on the door.

Her mom looked really nervous as she said, "Baby can you get that? I have to get something from the kitchen."

"Sure…" Jolene said confused.

Opening the door she looked at two guys.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

The men ignored her and walked in the house.

"Where's the money Rachel?" One of them asked as her mom walked back into the living room.

"I've got it all right here…" She said, as she handed the closest one an envelope.

He skimmed through a rather large stack of bills.

"You're 500 short." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Count it again." Rachel plead, her thin frame literally shook with fear.

"Mom what's going on? You're dealing?" Jolene asked, taking a step closer to her mom.

The guy took the envelope and handed it to the other guy and turned his attention to Jolene.

"You're very pretty." He breathed out as he ran a hand down the side of her face.

"Don't touch me." Jolene said through gritted teeth as she took a step back.

Looking over his shoulder, the man said to Jolene's mom, "I told you we get paid… one way or another."

Jolene felt all the color run from her face, as she tried to look for an exit, but before she could flee the man grabbed her and started up the stairs.

"Leave my baby alone!" Rachel yelled as she started after them but was immediately knocked to the ground by the other man.

"Mom!" Jolene yelled franticly before the man covered her mouth.

Tears poured down her face as she struggled against his hold on her, but he was much too strong.

"Please don't do this!" She screamed as he let go of her mouth to push her back on a bed.

"Stop it!" Jolene yelled as she kicked him, trying to break free.

Angered at her, the man raised his fist and she expected the next thing she felt would be him hitting her face.

But instead there was a loud thud as Tyler rushed in the door and knocked the man to the ground.

Jolene scrambled to her feet and watched as Tyler unleashed all his rage on the man who had tried to rape her.

"Tyler stop it! You're going to kill him!" Jolene yelled, even though a part of her wanted the man to die.

"Tyler!" Jolene yelled as she grabbed his arm as he had pulled back to deliver another bone breaking blow. The force sent her stumbling backwards until she fell down, yelling in pain as she hit her back on the corner of a table.

Finally able to gather control over his anger, he quickly jumped up from the bloody mess of a man and looked back to Jolene.

"We have to get out of here." She said, as he pulled her to her feet.

"I know, come on." He said, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the stairs behind him.

"Wait! My mom…" She yelled as she looked around the living room.

"She's gone, Jo. She took off when I came down the hallway from the bathroom, there was a guy chasing her." Tyler admitted as he gripped her hand tighter and pulled her towards the door.

"We have to find her." Jolene sobbed.

"No, we have to get the hell out of here before we get killed." Tyler said.

Firmly planting her feet against the torn up walkway to her mother's house, Jolene pulled her hand out of Tyler's grip.

"I'm not going to leave my mom here; you don't know what they will do to her." Jolene said, her arms shaking by her sides.

"You mean like what they were going to do to you? What don't you understand Jolene, your mom left you to fend for yourself in that house. She was going to let them rape you to pay off her drug debt." Tyler said, his words stronger than he meant for them to be, as adrenaline still surged through his veins.

Silently, Jolene followed Tyler to his car.

**-( On the drive back to Mystic Falls)-**

"Where are we going?" Jolene asked her voice soft.

"My house; my parents are at my aunts for the weekend." He told her.

She nodded, but didn't know what else to say.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

She shrugged and looked at his bloody knuckles as he gripped the steering wheel doing at least 30mph over the speed limit.

"Jo?" He asked, not seeing her shrug.

"I don't think I can even answer that right now." She admitted.

"Are you okay?" She asked him back.

"I don't know." He admitted as the heaviness of what happened sank into both of their minds.

**-(At Tyler's House)-**

Jolene let the hot water cascade over her shaking body as she finally let all the tears she had been holding back pour down her cheeks.

She tried to push every thought from her head as she looked around the inside of Tyler's shower, picking up Tyler's body wash she quickly showered and washed her hair.

After drying off she slid on one of Tyler's black t-shirts and a pair of his red basketball shorts, pulling the waist band string so they wouldn't fall off.

Slowly opening the door to his room, she peeked out to see him sitting on the side of his bed; his hair was still damp from the shower he had taken in his parents bathroom.

"Hey…" she said as she sat down on the other side of the bed.

He was quiet as he seemed lost in thought.

"Tyler?" She asked as she lightly put her hand on his arm.

"What?" He asked, jumping a little.

"I know I kind of freaked out back there and everything… but I really owe you a thank you… if you hadn't been there…" Her voice trailed off.

He shook his head, feeling the anger bubble back up in his veins.

"I almost killed that man, Jo." He said his tone low.

She looked around his room and said, "I know."

"No, what I mean is I could have killed him. When I heard you yelling and then saw what was going on… I wanted to kill him." Tyler admitted, avoiding her eyes as he spoke.

"The only thing I could think about was you." He said, his dark eyes finally meeting hers.

She swallowed hard as her green eyes locked their sight with his.

"What are you saying?" She asked him as she felt her stomach jump.

"I don't know…" He said, biting his tongue at the urge to tell her how much he cared about her and had for a long time.

"I think that we should sleep it's been a long day." Jolene said, glancing down at the floor.

"Yeah." He said as he nodded and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Jolene asked looking at him.

"The couch, or a guest room." He admitted, thinking she wanted to be left alone.

"Can't we both just sleep here?" Jolene asked her green eyes wide.

"If you're fine with it." Tyler said as he walked back to the bed.

After the lights had been turned out and the two lay on the bed in complete silence, Jolene asked, "Tyler… do you think those guys will find us?"

He understood now why she didn't want to be alone.

"I don't think so… your mom lives a few hours away, and I kept checking the mirrors; no one followed us." He reassured her.

Leaning over she crossed an arm over his chest and rested her chin on her arm, she looked up at him in the darkness and said, "But if my mom tells them…"

Tyler was silent; he had wondered the same thing himself since they had fled the house.

Leaning up he placed a soft kiss on her the top of her head. "Just try not to think about it." He said, as he rested his arm on her back and held her close to him.

**-(The Next Day, Saturday)-**

Jolene looked out of the window in Tyler's room as the sun started to set.

"Well, we've pretty much survived the day." She said, looking back to Tyler and then down to her cellphone where she had 13 missed calls from her mom.

"I'm not going to let them hurt you." Tyler said looking at her, his dark eyes intense as he spoke.

"That's sweet Tyler…" Jolene's voice trailed off.

"No, you don't get it. What I was trying to say last night was that all I could think about when that guy was hurting you and I lost it. I didn't care what happened to me, or even if I killed that guy… all I cared about was keeping you safe." Tyler admitted.

"Are you trying to tell me that you care about me?" Jolene asked, a small smile on her face.

He was silent, his eyes dark and his jaw tense as he seemed like he was really deep in thought.

"You could have been killed last night." Tyler pointed out.

"We both could have." Jolene said.

"It made me realize just how much I do care about you… I almost completely lost you." Tyler admitted.

Jolene nodded, and looked at him as his eyes met hers.

Feeling an intense magnetic force pulling her towards him, she didn't resist the pull as their lips met.

Raising her arms she held onto the back of his head and neck as she pulled him even closer to her, deepening their kiss.

Slowly, they moved back on the bed with him over her as passion ignited and their hands tore at each others clothes.

Running her hands up and down his muscular arms, she leaned up keeping their lips locked as his hands found the clasps on her bra.

**-(The next day, Sunday)-**

Jolene sat on the couch in Tyler's living room as the early morning sun shown in the through the large windows.

She was in another pair of Tyler's clothes; all of her clothes were packed in boxes, still loaded in Tyler's car.

She was about to turn the morning news on when there was a loud knock at the front door.

"Stay here. I've got it." Tyler instructed her as he jogged towards the front door.

Jolene's heart raced as she sat back down on the couch and hoped it wasn't the drug dealers.

"Why haven't you answered your phone?" She heard Caroline yell, followed by the clicking of her heels on the hardwood floor.

"What's going on?" Tyler asked as he followed Caroline who had pushed by him and was heading towards the living room.

"You haven't heard? Everyone is looking for… Jolene!" Caroline exclaimed as she saw her friend sitting on the couch.

"Hey Care." Jolene said with a small smile.

"Oh my God!" She exclaimed as she looked at the clothes Jolene was wearing.

"So you two have been shacked up here all weekend while I'm out there freaking out?" Caroline yelled, looking back and forth at them.

"I always knew you'd get together." She said, under her breath as she looked at them expectantly.

"Freaking out? Jolene questioned.

"We all thought you were dead! They found your car, crashed into a telephone pole, and blood on the interior… but no damn sign of you! The whole town has been searching for you! Even Damon." Caroline added in.

"Damon was looking for me? I thought he'd left town with an old girlfriend…" Jolene thought out loud, as she had thought he had already opened the tomb and gotten Katherine.

"Apparently not, have you guys not even turned on the news?" Caroline asked as she grabbed the remote and turned on the local news channel.

"And the search for missing local teen, Jolene Proctor is still on after her white Ford Explorer was found crashed into a telephone pole early Saturday morning. Friends and family of the teen say she might be using recreational drugs, and may be out there disorientated. If you have any information regarding her whereabouts, please call the hotline number…" The female news reporter said as Jolene muted the sound to the T.V. and looked at Tyler.

"Oh my God! How could we forget my freaking car was still crashed into that pole?" Jolene asked as she looked back to the muted T.V. now displaying a few pictures of her.

"I tried to give my mom the best pictures of you, Jo… but you're really not to photogenic." Caroline thought as she looked at the T.V.

"What the hell are we going to do?" Tyler asked them.

"I've got to call my mom so she can call off the search." Caroline told them.

After Sherriff Forbes arrived, Jolene and Tyler explained what had happened at her mom's house, and that they hadn't been watching the news and didn't know she was considered missing.

"So how did your car get wrecked?" Liz asked Jolene.

"I dropped my phone in the passenger floorboard and swerved off the road trying to get it." Jolene lied, as Tyler glanced over at her.

After calling Jolene's dad, she said "Your dad says he will be over at 7 once he's done with the shift he picked up at the hospital."

"Great, he thinks his daughter is missing and he's picking up extra shifts at work." Jolene said as she rolled eyes.

"Is there a problem?" Liz asked her.

"Yeah, when he gets here… it's gonna be world war 3. You guys only get to see polite Dr. Proctor… that's not how he is outside of work." Jolene breathed out as she ran her hands through her hair.

"I'll be back at 7 also." Liz said, as she looked at Jolene and Tyler before leaving to call off the search team.

After her mom had left, Caroline looked at Tyler and Jolene. "So you guys are really together?"

"We haven't really talked about it…" Jolene said through gritted teeth as she looked at her.

"I'll come back tonight with my mom." Caroline said as she pulled her in for a hug.

"But for future reference if you decide to go missing again… you better give me some warning in advance… or it will be me you'll be worried about instead of your dad." Caroline said, as she hugged her again and then let herself out of the house.

It was close to 30 minutes later when there was a knock on the door.

Jolene got up and headed to the door after she heard it slam shut.

Opening the closed door and stepping outside she looked up to see who the visitor was.

"Damon…" She breathed out looking at him.

**()()()()()()()()()**

**A/N –**_** Hey everyone. I'm so glad I finally got the time to finish this chapter and get it posted for you all. ^_^ I really hope you all liked the chapter, I know it was a bit longer than my normal ones.**_

_**Thanks so much for reading! I really want to thank all of you who continue to read my stories and leave reviews, you really have no idea how much you all inspire me to keep writing! ^_^ You guys are awesome!**_

**Please take a few moments to continue to let me know you are reading this story, it's honestly one of my favorite ones to write and I always love hearing from my readers!**


	16. Break Away

_**Chapter 16 –Break Away.**_**-**

**({}){(})**

"She doesn't want to talk to you." Tyler said to Damon through gritted teeth.

"Tyler!" Jolene snapped looking over at him.

Tyler looked back and forth between Damon and Jolene before sighing angrily and slamming the door shut behind him as he went back inside.

Jolene looked down at her bare feet on the cement and then back up to Damon as his eyes scanned her clothes – a pair of Tyler's dark green gym shorts and a baggy yellow t-shirt.

"My clothes are all still packed up." She mumbled, before looking back down at the cement and saying, "Not that I owe you an explanation."

Damon was silent for a moment as he studied her face.

"How did you know I was here?" She asked as she glanced behind her at the door and then started to walk down the walkway away from the house, knowing that Tyler was probably eavesdropping from the other side.

"Caroline." He told her.

"You compelled her?" Jolene asked, glaring at him after they were out of earshot.

"No, she was telling everyone at the grill." He admitted, cocking his head to the side as he looked at her.

"What happened to Katherine?" She asked.

"What about her?" Damon questioned.

"You were going to open the tomb… I honestly thought you had left town with her." Jolene admitted.

"I haven't opened the tomb, something distracted me…" He said his voice trailing off.

"What?" She asked afraid of the answer.

"Searching for you." He told her as he looked back at the Lockwood mansion.

"Honestly, this is the last place I expected anyone to find you."

"Tyler and I are old friends…" She said, looking at Damon.

"Friends?" He questioned, glancing again to her clothes.

"I'm single – I can do what I want…" She said.

She saw the anger in Damon's eyes at her words, but along with anger she saw what he was trying to mask, sadness.

"You know where I stand, Jolene… you know I want you." Damon said, his eyes revealing more of the sadness as he spoke.

"Please don't…" Jolene said, as she took a small step back.

"I've already told you I can't be with you, Damon." She said, shaking her head as she rubbed her sweaty palms against the soft fabric of the shorts she was wearing.

"I know I screwed up… I should have never compelled you. I'm sorry." Damon said.

"I know, and I also know in some messed up way you really thought you were helping me. And I forgive you." She said her green eyes looked him in the eyes.

"I don't understand." He said confused as he looked at her.

"I forgive you Damon, for lying to me and for what happened to Vicki… I even forgive you for messing with my mind." Jolene said, feeling her stomach turn with her nerves.

"That's good, isn't it?" Damon asked her.

"This weekend has quite possibly been the worst weekend of my life; I put myself in a really bad situation just trying to escape this town, and everyone in it. And I almost got me and Tyler killed because of it; it all made me realize that I am a teenager, I don't know what I want for my future." She said, looking at him.

He was quiet as he waited for her to finish.

"You're intense and impulsive… and being with you is an adventure, I never know what's around the next corner… and I love that. But that's not what I need. The ups and the downs, the highs and the lows… it pushes me back into my old ways, back to drugs and drinking to try and cope with it all. I can't continue to put myself in that situation with you… because if I don't get myself straightened out now than I'm going to turn into my mother." She said her heart beat loud inside of her chest as she tried to hold back her tears.

"And I mean maybe it's inevitable, my mom said that her father was an alcoholic since he had been a teenager, so I guess this is all in my blood. But I refuse to believe I have to follow in their footsteps, I want to be different than them… I want to be better, to make something of my life. And I have to keep myself in the most stable situation as possible, and that's not with you." She admitted.

The look on his face broke her heart as she finally managed to make eye contact with him.

Tears started to slide down her face as she quickly turned and started to walk back towards the house, her breathing rattled her whole body as she felt like she had broken her own heart.

"Jolene…" Damon said as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Just open the tomb and get Katherine… she's what you've wanted for over a hundred years. You deserve to be happy, Damon." She said, as she brushed his hand away and steadily walked towards the house not looking back

**(())(())**

A few hours later Jolene was standing in the kitchen with Sherrif Forbes, Caroline and her father; Tyler had left moments before they arrived to get a pizza.

"I don't understand, don't these things normally take a long time and don't we have to go before a judge?" Jolene asked as she looked down at the thick stack of papers on the table in front of her.

"Normally." Sherriff Forbes said as she looked over to Jolene's father.

"My lawyer sped up the process, it's already been approved by a judge." Marshall said as he handed his daughter a black pen.

Jolene skimmed over the emancipation papers.

"Who knew it would so easy to relinquish your rights and responsibilities to your child." Jolene muttered as she paused with her pen right above the paper.

"You don't have to sign it." He said.

"What's my alternative?" Jolene asked looking up at him.

"There's a lovely in-house treatment facility in Georgia, you could get the help you need and still work towards your diploma." He said.

"Out of state?" Caroline squeaked as she held onto Jolene's arm.

Jolene gritted her teeth as she started to sign the papers.

"I will, of course, keep health insurance on you until you get a full-time job and are able to carry your own insurance plan." He said, watching her as she signed the papers.

"Jolene, where are you going to stay?" Caroline asked her friend as she watched her continue to sign the papers.

"I don't know." Jolene admitted as she signed the last paper.

"And the award goes to the father of the year…" Jolene sarcastically said as she slid the signed papers across the table to him.

Marshall looked over to Sherriff Forbes as she looked at him with a disapproving look.

"You can stay at the house until you are able to find a job and place of your own…" He said, only making the polite offer because they were in the company of others.

"I'd rather live on the streets." Jolene said, her emerald eyes dark as she spoke.

Ignoring her remark, he gathered the papers and said, "Liz." with a nod to Caroline's mom as he then left the house.

"Mom!" Caroline exclaimed, wanting her mom to offer Jolene move in.

"Jolene, if it comes down to it and you don't have anywhere to go… I'm sure we could work something out." Liz said hesitation in her words at the thought of having a teenage drug addict move in.

"I'll figure something out." Jolene said as she sat down at the kitchen table.

Caroline hugged her friend tightly and said, "Call me if you need anything!"

**((()))(())**

Jolene sat cuddled up to Tyler's side as he held her close to him with his arm. Her stomach was in knots and she had nowhere to go and no job.

Now and then a few tears slid down her face as she quickly whipped them away, it wasn't too long before both teens fell asleep on the couch.

Hours later Jolene woke up and looked around the empty living room, standing up she walked over and into the kitchen where she saw Tyler and his parents sitting at the kitchen table.

"Jolene, we were just about to wake you." Tyler's mom, Carol, said with a soft smile.

"Uh…" Jolene stuttered, she had fully intended to be gone before his parents returned home from their weekend trip.

"Have a seat." Richard, Tyler's dad told her.

Nodding Jolene kept her questioning eyes on Tyler as she took a seat at the table with the family.

"Tyler has told us of your current situation, I'm sorry to hear about it." Mayor Lockwood told her, his tone stern and professional.

"Thank you…?" Jolene said, even though it sounded like a question.

"Carol and I have talked about it and we are willing to let you move in here." He told her.

Jolene's eyes widened as she looked over at Tyler who smiled warmly at her.

"Are you serious?" She asked, her green eyes starting to get some light back in them.

"There are conditions and rules you will have to abide by." Richard said.

Tyler's parents had always liked Jolene.

"What kinds of rules?" Jolene inquired.

"You will continue to go to school and keep your grades up. There will absolutely be no drug use or drinking; you will agree to submit to random drug tests." Mayor Lockwood explained.

"Fair enough." Jolene said, nodding.

"You need a job, not only to learn responsibility but it looks good on college applications, especially if you've been working for the mayor." He explained.

"What?" Jolene asked.

"You start the end of next week, after school at my office. We can always use an extra pair of hands to answer the phones, and file paperwork." He said before pausing and saying, "Unless you want to work somewhere else, it's up to you."

"Working at your office sounds great." Jolene said, smiling at them.

"Thank you all so much." Jolene said, her words honest as she looked around at all of them.

"Come on, I'll show you to the room you'll be staying in." Carol said as she stood from the table.

As she showed her to a nice sized guest room, Jolene looked around and said, "I really can't thank you guys enough…"

Carol turned to her and smiled, "You better get some sleep, you've got class in the morning."

**((()))(())**

The next morning Jolene dug through her boxes until she settled on a pair of light jeans and a dark green tank top, with a cropped light brown jacket. After brushing her hair and applying some makeup she laid back down on her bed.

"You awake?" Tyler asked as he knocked on her door.

"Unfortunately." Jolene called back.

Tyler opened the door, walked in, and dropped his book bag on the floor inside her room.

"Come on, we're gonna be late." Tyler said as he sat down on the bed beside her.

"I don't want to go." Jolene said, brushing some of her dark red hair from her face.

"Too bad." Tyler said, as he lay down and faced her.

Biting her bottom lip Jolene looked at Tyler and said, "You know… Caroline told everyone we're together."

He nodded.

"Well?" Jolene asked.

"Well what?" Tyler asked back, a small smile toying at the corner of his mouth.

"What are we going to tell people when they ask us?" Jolene asked.

"What do you want to tell them?" Tyler asked her.

"I don't know." She admitted.

"What about you?" She managed to ask back.

"I vote we go with it." Tyler said, looking at her.

"Are you saying you want to be my boyfriend, Lockwood?" She questioned, smiling at him.

"You know how much I care about you." Tyler pointed out, nodding.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Jolene questioned.

"I've handled you this long haven't I?" He questioned, laughing.

"Not what I meant. I mean… are you ready to give up your single status and all those little flings?" Jolene asked him, surprised at how nervous she was to hear his answer.

"For you… yeah." He told her, his eyes serious as he spoke.

She took a deep breath and nodded, "Just so you know, I'm a mess and I tend to screw up everything… so if you want to change your mind now and just be friends I understand."

"I think I can handle it, Proctor." He said playfully.

She laughed and then the room was silent for a few moments.

"Okay, so now that's settled. Let's go." He said as she stood and extended his hand.

Slowly Jolene sat up on the side of her bed and Tyler pulled her to her feet.

Jolene walked into her first class to see her open seat beside Stefan.

"hey…" She said looking at him.

"Jolene." He said with a nod.

"So I got a phone call from Bonnie, her grandmother died… trying to help you all with the tomb? I couldn't understand her real well." Jolene said.

Stefan glanced around the room to make sure no one was listening to them.

"Yeah." He said with a sad expression and a nod.

"So Damon finally got what he wanted?" Jolene said, glancing down at her note book.

"Katherine wasn't in the tomb, Jolene. Never was." He told her.

"Oh my god." Jolene said louder than she meant to.

"Miss Procter, Mr. Salvatore? Anything you'd like to share with the class?" Their teacher asked.

"No." they both said, shaking their heads.

"Then maybe you should hold your conversations until after class." Their teacher said giving them, a stern look.

Stefan nodded and Jolene said, 'Sorry."

Not too long after the teacher went back to explaining their lessons for the day, Jolene looked back at Stefan and whispered.

"So where is Katherine?" She asked.

"She was never in the tomb; she's been out the whole time and never tried to find Damon." He explained.

"Oh my god, poor Damon." She said, even though a tiny selfish part of her was happy he wasn't with her.

"How is he? Should I go check on him?" She asked her eyes wide.

"He's… managing; no I don't think you should go check on him, at least not yet." Stefan said.

After class Jolene quickly walked down the hallway, but Stefan caught up with her in seconds. "I mean it, Jo. Don't just show up out of the blue… if you want to talk to him take me with you, he's upset and unstable."

"You think he may hurt me?" Jolene asked as she grabbed a book from her locker.

"I think that Damon isn't capable of controlling himself." Stefan told her, skating around the truth.

"Fine." Jolene said as she saw Tyler coming towards them.

Stefan looked at her for another second, before nodding and heading off to find Elena.

"Hey." Tyler said as he kissed her.

"Hey." She said back smiling at him.

They talked for a few moments and he walked her to her next class.

**((()))(())**

Jolene looked around the crowded school hallway as she stood outside of Tyler's locker, putting her ear to it and listening for the clicks from the combination lock; it took her a few tries but she managed to break into his locker.

Looking around behind her, she quickly grabbed his car keys from the top shelf and slid them into her book bag.

She was skipping her last class of the day, and she knew Tyler would be mad but she had to check on Damon.

She jogged out of the school and across the parking lot to Tyler's car.

**((()))(())**

The late bell for their last class rang and Tyler looked around the class room, sighing when he didn't see Jolene.

After the teacher took attendance, Caroline looked at Tyler and whispered. "Where's Jo?"

Tyler shrugged. "I have no clue…"

Stefan looked back and forth between them wondering if Jolene had gone to see Damon even after he had warned her not to. After another 15 minutes had passed with no sign of her. Stefan grabbed his books and told the teacher there had been an emergency and he had to go.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N - Thank you all for reading? Have I mentioned lately how awesome you all are? ^_^ Seriously, it really means so much to me to know that I have readers/fans for this story! It's one of my favorites to write, and at the moment the only one I'm writing for.**

**I would really appreciate it if you would take just a few moments to leave a review, even just a few lines to let me know you are still reading. You're kind words are what keeps me writing and posting updates. ^_^**


	17. Try Living a Little More

_**Chapter 17 –Try Living a Little More.**_**-**

**({}){(})**

Jolene pulled to a stop outside of Damon's house and looked the interior of Tyler's car over; feeling bad for taking it without his permission.

Slowly walking up to the front door she knocked, but there was no answer.

"Damon?" She called out as she pushed the door open and walked inside.

"Oh my god." She said as she looked around the living room.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked her as he removed his mouth from a girl's neck.

Jolene's stomach turned as she saw blood run from the fresh bite mark, and down his chin.

"Well I'm certainly not here to join your feeding buffet!" She snapped looking around at the other girls; all under compulsion and all with fresh bite marks.

"Did you compel all of them?" She asked, seeing that each girl seemed un-phased to be bitten by a vampire.

"Well, I couldn't very well just take my chances with them telling, now could I?" Damon retorted.

"I shouldn't have come here…" Jolene said, swallowing hard as she took a few steps backward.

"Why did you come here; to rub it in my face that all of my efforts were useless?" He questioned.

"You really think I'd do that?" She questioned a look of pain came over her face at hearing his words.

He stopped and looked at her.

"I came here because I still care about you… Stefan told me about Katherine and I thought maybe you needed a friend, Damon. It was a mistake to come here." She said, wishing she had never left school.

Her heart pounded inside her chest as she looked around at the girls dancing in his living room; she felt a pang of jealousy and quickly brushed it away. She reminded herself that she was the one who broke up with him.

"A friend?" Damon questioned as he followed her towards the door.

"Yes, a friend. You know someone you can come to when you're upset; someone who cares about you." Jolene said, stopping and looking at him.

"You were the one who didn't want me." He pointed out, his eyes intense as he spoke.

"Would you please stop acting like this?" She asked, feeling tears sting her eyes again.

"Stop what?" Damon asked.

"Stop acting like I am doing all of this to hurt you, I'm sorry if it feels like that. But you have to understand that I am trying to save myself…you have no idea how much this is all hurting me to." Jolene said, tears stinging her eyes again.

"But again I was just stupid. I spend the whole day beating myself up and feeling like crap because I was worried about you. So I try to be an adult, and come here to offer you a shoulder to cry on and someone to talk to… and find you with half a sorority house!" Jolene exclaimed, shaking her head.

"You're jealous." Damon pointed out; feeling a little happy and selfish at the fact that she still cared.

"I have to go." Jolene said as she turned to leave.

"Wait. I'm sorry." Damon said, putting his hand on the door to keep her from opening it.

"So am I." Jolene said facing the door, refusing to turn and look at him.

Damon leaned down until his mouth was inches away from her ear, "I don't just want to be friends with you, Jolene."

She held her breath as she smelt the coppery scent of blood on his breath.

"That's all I can be." She said, still trying to not to smell the blood.

"Maybe that's not enough for me." He said, his breath lightly moved the hair covering her ears and sent a chill down her spine.

"I'm with Tyler now. He really cares about me, and he's exactly the kind of stability I need right now. He's been so understanding and kind to me and I stole his car from the school to come see you. What kind of person am I?" She breathed the last sentence out as she hung her head.

Hearing the girls giggling from the other room, she held her head back up and stiffened her posture.

"Goodbye, Damon." She said, as she reached for the doorknob.

Slowly he moved his hand and Jolene opened the door to see Stefan walking up to the house.

"Jolene?" He questioned, glad to see she was okay.

"See you at school." She mumbled as she headed towards Tyler's car.

Looking at the clock she sighed as she saw that school had already ended.

Pulling into the parking lot, she drove until she found Tyler talking to Matt standing next to his truck.

Without a word to her, Tyler got into the passenger seat and shut his door.

"Do you wanna drive?" She asked, her voice a little unsteady as she could feel how mad he was.

He didn't respond, just fastened his seat belt.

"Okay… um are we going home, or do you wanna get something to eat?" She asked, biting her bottom lip.

He shrugged.

"Tyler, please talk to me." She begged as she pulled out of the student parking lot.

"I could eat." He vaguely responded as he put the ear buds to his iPod in his ears and stared out the window.

Once Jolene pulled up outside of the grill, Tyler quickly exited the car and headed inside.

"Tyler… I'm sorry." Jolene said as she sat down in the booth across from him.

He looked over the menu on the table, even though he always ordered the same thing.

"Can you talk to me?" She asked as she gently pulled the menu from his hands.

"I'm trying not to blow up at you." He said his voice low.

"I'm sorry for taking your car. It was a really stupid thing to do." Jolene apologized.

"How did you even get my keys?" Tyler asked her.

"I broke into your locker." Jolene admitted, as she looked down at the table.

"How the hell did you break into my locker?" Tyler asked.

"I listened for the combination lock; it clicks on the right numbers… it took a few tries." She admitted.

Tyler looked at her in disbelief.

"I'm terrible I know." Jolene said, shaking her head.

"What was so important that you had to flee school and steal my car?" Tyler asked her.

Swallowing hard Jolene reached across the table and slid her hand into Tyler's as she said, "I'm trying this new thing called honesty… and I'm really hoping that you don't freak out on me."

"Go on." Tyler said.

"I… went to see Damon, as a friend." She said.

Tyler stared at her in complete shock.

"What?" He said, his voice almost sounded like a growl.

"He's going through a really hard time and I thought he could use a friend." Jolene admitted.

"Why did that friend have to be you?" Tyler asked her.

Jolene thought for a few moments.

"I'm kind of all he's got." She admitted.

"What?" Tyler asked.

"I mean, him and Stefan aren't close, and Elena kind of only tolerates him because of Stefan. He doesn't really talk to anyone else." Jolene said.

"So what happened?" Tyler asked her.

"I went there to offer my friendship." Jolene said, after they had ordered their food.

"And?" Tyler asked her.

"And he told me that he didn't want my friendship." Jolene said, her jaw tense as she looked down at the table.

"Do I really have to keep pulling the story out of you? Now is where you man up and tell me what happened." Tyler said, only letting a piece of his anger show through.

Nodding she said, "So, he said that my friendship wasn't good enough. And I told him that I was sorry, but that I'm with you now and that all I can offer him is my friendship. Then I left."

Tyler nodded and some of the anger lifted.

Later that night, Jolene was sitting on the bed in her new room.

"You alright?" Tyler asked as he stopped outside of her bedroom door.

"Not really." She said, as she looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" He asked, as he pulled her door shut behind him.

"My dad shut my cellphone off." She sighed as she displayed the now useless smartphone.

Tyler took her phone and looked at for a second, before tossing it on the bedside table.

"It wasn't all that long ago that me and Damon broke up." Jolene said.

"Yeah." Tyler said nodding.

"You have to realize that I really loved him, and I still care a lot about him." Jolene went on to say.

"What are you saying?" Tyler asked her.

"All that I'm saying is I understand that you pretty much hate him. And I know you have a tendency to get jealous and angry, but I still want to be friends with him." Jolene admitted.

"I don't think I can be okay with that." Tyler admitted.

"Well, if he comes around and decides he wants to be friends with me than you're going to have to accept it and trust me." Jolene said.

"I'll try." Tyler said, his jaw tense as he spoke.

"Thank you… for everything." She said, as she leaned in and kissed him.

"Just no more stealing my car, okay?" He said as he kissed her again and ignited the heat between them.

After his shirt was gone and he had just removed her shirt, she broke their passionate kissing. "Wait. Your parents are home…" She said, her green eyes wide.

He kissed her hard and gently pushed her back on the mattress until her head was on the pillows and he was above her.

"I guess we'll have to be quiet then…" He said with a playful smile.

"I guess so…" She said as she leaned up and pressed her lips to his.

**(((A Few Days Later)))**

"Wanna get lunch?" A voice said from beside Jolene.

She jumped and looked to see Damon standing beside her locker.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, looking at him happy to see he looked better than the last time she had seen him.

"Asking you to lunch." He said as he watched a few of the high schoolers walk by.

"No thanks." She said as she put her book bag in her locker and started towards the school cafeteria.

"What are you doing?" She asked as he followed her.

"I need to talk to you." He said.

"I don't really have anything else to say." She said as she spotted Tyler who was heading over towards them.

"As friends, Jolene." Damon said, as he reached out and grabbed her arm.

She looked at him, and he said, "Please."

"What's going on?" Tyler asked as he walked up to them.

"I'm going to eat lunch with Damon; I'll be back by next period." Jolene said, her eyes pleaded for his understanding.

His whole body stiffened as he looked over at Damon.

"Be careful." Tyler said as he leaned over and kissed her a little too long.

"Always." She said, as she frowned slightly at his over dramatized public display of affection.

"New boyfriend doesn't trust you?" Damon questioned as they neared his car.

"It's you he doesn't trust." Jolene said, giving him a hard stare as she got into the passenger seat and he shut the door behind her.

**((()))(())((()))**

_**A/N - Thank you all for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**Even though she is with Tyler for the moment, she is still having plently of scenes with Damon. ^_-**_

**Please take a few moments to show your support for this story and leave a review. Even if it's just a small one to let me know you are still reading, I really appreciate it. You all keep me inspired to keep writing this story! ^_^**


	18. Hold Your Horses Now

**Chapter 18 –Hold Your Horses Now...-**

**({})**_**A/N- I'm spreading out events and messing with the timelines from episodes 17-18.**_**{(})**

* * *

"Uh, Damon?" Jolene questioned over the music playing at a low volume in Damon's car.

"What?" He asked her.

"You just passed the grill…" She explained, looking at him confused.

He nodded, smiling a little as he looked over at her.

She sighed, and sat back against the seat as she said, "I'm not going to make it back by my next class, am I?"

"Do you really want to?" He asked her, knowing how much she hated school.

"I need to, I have rules I have to follow now." She said sighing.

"Who says?" He asked her, an eyebrow raised.

"Mayor Lockwood." Jolene said as she pulled her hair from the tight ponytail and rubbed her scalp as her dark auburn hair framed her face and fell almost to her elbows.

"I'm confused…" Damon admitted, looking over at her.

"I live with Tyler and his parents now." Jolene admitted, glancing at him from the corner of her eye to gauge his reaction.

She could tell by the look on his face that he was curious, but he didn't ask.

"My dad relinquished all rights to me, and I'm now legally responsible for myself. Luckily, Tyler's parents agreed to let me move in… but I have to stay in school, keep my grades up and keep a job. It's crazy, I'm legally considered an adult now and in charge of myself but I have more rules than when I lived with my dad." Jolene thought out loud.

The car was silent for a few moments before Damon said, "You know… if you lived with me… there wouldn't be any rules."

Jolene turned in her seat and looked at him.

"That's not going to happen; I thought you said lunch as friends." She said her eyes slightly narrowed.

"Besides, I need the rules to keep myself on track; it's part of the whole stability thing I was telling you about." She said her voice a little snappy.

Quickly realizing she had unintentionally snapped at him she said, "And, I wouldn't want to live with half of a sorority house."

She looked over at him and gave him a small smile.

"For the record, they are all back at their college." Damon told her.

**(())(())**

"I'll have the turkey club sandwich with no tomato and an orange soda to drink." Jolene ordered her lunch from the menu at a restaurant a few towns over from Mystic Falls.

"So what was so important that you had to pull me away from school in the middle of the day for?" Jolene asked.

"I wanted to tell you that I accept your offer." Damon said, smiling at her.

Jolene slightly squint her green eyes for a moment, trying to see if he was telling the truth.

"Okay…" She said her voice a little unsure.

"Okay…?" He questioned back.

Sighing Jolene took a drink of her soda before saying, "Damon, why do I get the feeling that you have an ulterior motive?"

"I normally do…" He pointed out, a smug smirk toying at the corners of his mouth.

"It's no secret that I don't want to be just friends with you, but you've made your point and I rest my case… for now." He said.

Jolene shook her head back and forth at his words.

"If you were my friend, and cared about me than you wouldn't be trying to sabotage me and Tyler." Jolene said, her voice sounded like she was scolding him.

"I haven't done anything." Damon reminded her, as he glanced around the restaurant.

"Yet." Jolene said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Your words not mine." Damon said, smirking at her.

"Why aren't you eating?" Damon questioned, as he looked down at her plate.

"I need to know if you're serious about us being friends. I really can't afford to be trusting someone who isn't being honest with me. My life is screwed up enough; my friends are pretty much the only ones I have to depend on." Jolene said her words and expression strikingly honest as she looked at him over the dining table.

"I'm serious, after you left I did some soul searching and I still want you in my life, and if being a friend is the only way I can get that, then okay… we will be friends." Damon said.

Jolene nodded, and hoped with every ounce of her being that he was being sincere.

"Plus, you're the only friend I've got… because Stefan and I don't get along, and everyone else only tolerates me." Damon said, as he kept his eyes on her.

"You…spied on me." Jolene said, after realizing he pretty much repeated her words back to her that she had said to Tyler a couple days ago.

"You were really upset when you left that day." Damon pointed out.

"That doesn't matter…" Jolene said, not sure whether to feel comforted that he still cared about her, or betrayed that he followed and spied on her.

"I'll be back." Jolene said as she stood and left the table heading down the small hallway leading to the bathroom.

Stopping in front of a payphone on the wall she dug around in her pockets until she found enough coins to make a call.

When it reached Tyler's voicemail she said, "Hey Ty, It's me. I'm sorry I didn't make it back before the end of lunch… we ended up going to eat somewhere out of town. I'll be back before the end of the day. Everything is fine, don't worry."

Heading back to the table she avoided his eyes as she slowly started to eat her lunch.

"You're mad at me?" He questioned.

"Not really." She admitted looking up at him; feeling a twinge of guilt for being so okay with it.

"What are you doing?" Jolene asked as Damon grabbed her arm when they were walking towards the exit of the restaurant.

"Where is your bracelet?" Damon asked her.

Pulling her arm from his grip she said, "Uh… at home in my jewelry box."

"Why aren't you wearing it?" Damon asked his eyes intense as they walked towards his car.

"Out of respect for Tyler… it's kind of wrong to keep wearing something that an ex-boyfriend gave to me." She said, before looking at him. "If you want it back I completely understand."

"Screw what Tyler thinks, you have to wear that bracelet! It's important Jolene." Damon said his eyes bore into hers as he spoke.

Closing her eyes she said, "Please, don't compel me it's my choice."

"It's your safety… it's your life, Jolene."

She sighed.

"You can open your eyes; I'm not going to compel you." Damon said.

Slowly Jolene opened her eyes and looked at him.

**(())(())**

Jolene slung her overnight bag and her purse over her shoulder.

"Ready?" Tyler asked her.

"Yeah, thanks for dropping me off at the grill so I can meet up with Caroline." Jolene said, as she leaned in and kissed Tyler; lightly pressing her body against his.

"So why are you going away with her?" Tyler asked.

"One because she's one of my best friends, and two it's her dads boyfriends daughter's birthday, and three she's been bugging me for girl time for months." Jolene said, smiling at him as they got into his car.

"It's storming pretty badly." Tyler pointed out as they headed into the grill.

"We'll be fine." Jolene said as she kissed him again and headed off with Caroline as he met up with Matt.

"Thanks for coming with me." Caroline said once they were in her car and out of the pouring rain.

"Hey what are best friends for?" Jolene said smiling over at her.

"So… I saw you leave school with Damon the other day." Caroline brought up.

"Ugh." Jolene sighed as she sunk down in the passenger seat.

The main reason she had agreed to go away with Caroline was to get an escape from her Damon and Tyler drama.

"We are trying the whole friend thing out." Jolene admitted.

"Then why are you wearing the bracelet he gave you?" Caroline asked.

"Can we please not do this, Care? I need my head clear of Damon and Tyler for a day." Jolene pleaded.

"Uh-oh, what's going on with Tyler?" Caroline asked.

"Nothing!" Jolene said.

"Then why do you need a day away from him?" Caroline asked.

"I'm just putting him through a lot… I mean not only does he get the damaged version of Jolene, he's got to deal with my trying to be friends with Damon, and he's just trying so hard to be understanding and not freak out on me. I feel terrible." Jolene admitted.

Caroline nodded.

"Matt's mom is a total wreck. He wants for her to be around so bad that he's afraid if he stands up to her she's going to take off. I hate seeing him upset." Caroline confided.

Jolene nodded.

"Matt deserves so much better than Kelly for his mom. God, remember back when Kelly and my mom used to run around together?" Jolene asked looking over at her.

"Oh my god. They were terrible, I felt so sorry for you and Matt in middle school. Both of your moms were always drunk and… whatever else." Caroline said, looking over at her.

"I know right." Jolene said before shaking her head and saying, "Bitches."

Caroline laughed, and glanced over at her friend.

"I miss this… spending time together." Caroline said.

"Me too." Jolene agreed.

"Things are just perfect now! You're with Tyler and I've got Matt, we're back to being best friends." Caroline exclaimed excitedly.

Jolene tried to smile the best she could, but all she could think about was how far things were from perfect.

"Oh shit." Jolene breathed as their main road route was washed out.

"Can you get my phone and call Matt?" Caroline asked her.

"Yeah, Jolene said as reached over and took Caroline's phone from her jacket pocket; scrolling through the contacts she called Matt and put him on speaker.

"Hey, where are you?" Matt asked as he answered the phone.

"We've been detoured on some back road. You're on speaker." Caroline told him.

"Hey Jo." Matt said.

"Hey Matt." Jolene responded.

"We are on some random backwoods path to hell." Caroline said.

"That's really not an exaggeration either." Jolene said as she looked around.

"Well, you shouldn't be talking and driving." Matt said.

"Jo's holding the phone, its fine." Caroline said as she leaned forward trying to get a better view of the road.

"What? You guys are breaking up. Just turn around and go back the same way you came." Matt instructed them.

"Okay." Both girls said in unison and Jolene ended the call.

"No way!" Caroline exclaimed as she turned a corner and the car got stuck in some mud.

Both girls opened their doors and looked out to see the tires spinning in place.

"Ugh. Seriously?" Caroline said as she picked up her phone, but had no service.

"It's gotten dark out, we can't just sit here." Jolene said a few hours later as they looked around the dark interior of the car.

Turning the radio off, Caroline said, "What are we going to do?"

"Give me your phone, I'll see if I can get signal past those trees." Jolene said.

"Be careful." Caroline asked, handing over her phone and thankful she wasn't going to have to get out in the pouring rain.

Just keep the headlights on so I can see." Jolene instructed as she pulled her hood up and jumped out of the car.

Caroline watched from inside the car as Jolene walked around trying to get her phone to work.

"Oh my god!" Caroline exclaimed as she watched Jolene in the headlights as she fell down a hill.

**(())(())((()))**

_**A/N- Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed the update, and can see that even though Jolene is still hungry that there is still plenty of Jolene and Damon scenes.**_

_**It's almost time for the new season! Everyone excited? ^_^**_

**Please take a few moments to leave a review! Even just a few lines to let me know you are still reading. ^_^ You all inspire me to keep writing this story.**


	19. The Past is the Past

_**Chapter 19 –The Past is the Past.**_**-**

**({})**_**A/N- I'm spreading out events and messing with the timelines from episodes 17-18.**_**{(})**

* * *

**(((Flashback)))**

"So what movies are we going to rent tonight?" Bonnie asked as she took a bite of her pizza and looked around the table at her three best friends.

"I'm thinking… scary." Caroline said her eyes wide as she took a drink of her milk.

"I agree." Elena said nodding.

"Jo, what about you?" Bonnie asked.

Jolene didn't respond.

"Hello! Jolene!" Caroline said, waving her hand in front of her friends face.

"Get your hand out of my freaking face." Jolene snapped as she jumped back in her seat in the school lunchroom, causing the hood to her sweatshirt to fall off of her head.

"Oh my god!" Elena said, her brown eyes widening.

"What's going on?" Caroline asked her.

"I… I just haven't been sleeping much, okay." Jolene said, as she rubbed her bloodshot eyes.

"I know you're going through a hard time right now with your parents splitting up and all; but are you…?" Bonnie's voice trailed off.

"Using drugs or something?" Caroline finished her friend's sentence.

"You know we're here for you, you don't have to do this." Elena said, dropping her fork on her tray unable to eat now.

"You know they drug test the athletes, what are you going to do if you get kicked from cheerleading?" Caroline asked.

"Oh yeah; because right now, the most important thing on my mind is cheerleading." Jolene snapped as she grabbed her bag and headed towards the girls bathroom.

"Oh, god it's worse than I thought." Jolene said, as she saw how red and bloodshot her eyes were; she splashed some water in her eyes trying to dull the redness.

"Here, these will work a lot better than plain water." A girl said, as she handed her a bottle of eye drops.

"Thanks." Jolene said, not even looking at the bottle as she squirted some in her eyes.

"Wait… you're Elena's friend, Jolene right?" The girl said, looking at her.

"What the hell happened to you?" She said, laughing as she took the bottle back from Jolene and put a few drops in her own eyes.

"How do you know my name?" Jolene asked her.

"Elena's dating my brother Matt." She explained.

"Oh… Vicki, right? Sorry, I'm not really myself today." Jolene muttered as she pulled a makeup compact from her purse and tried to cover the dark circles under her eyes.

"Just for future reference, if you're gonna get that messed up before school you're better off just to ditch than get caught here." Vicki said.

Jolene nodded.

Sighing Vicki said, "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Jolene asked, as she picked up her bags.

"I'm gonna meet up with some friends of mine, and party… it's a Friday." Vicki said, holding the bathroom door open.

"I… uhh." Jolene stopped, not sure if she wanted to leave with Matt's sister or not.

"Unless you're too much of goody-two-shoes and you're afraid to miss cheer practice." Vicki playfully taunted.

"Screw it, let's go." Jolene said, walking out the door with Vicki."

**(((End of Flashback)))**

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked as she sat in the back of her mom's patrol car.

Being shook from her memory of the first time she and Vicki had really met, she nodded her head and brushed the tears from her cheeks, but stayed silent.

"I'm so sorry… I should have just sucked it up and got out of the car… then I would have been the one to find her." Caroline said, referring to Vicki's shallow grave being unearthed from where Jolene had slid down the hill in the storm.

Jolene shook her head back and forth as more tears slid from her eyes.

Caroline scooted over next to her friend and wrapped her in a hug.

"Poor Matt." Caroline said, as the trio made their way up the sidewalk to his house.

"I can't go in… I'm just gonna sit here." Jolene said, as she sat on the very edge of the porch swing.

"Okay." Sherriff Forbes said with a sympathetic nod.

"Mayor Lockwood is on his way, I think he has Tyler with him." Liz said, as Caroline knocked on the door.

Jolene sat on the porch crying as she replayed the events of not only finding Vicki's body, but also the events from the night she had killed Vicki.

"Jo…" Tyler said as she stepped up onto the porch.

"Hey Ty." She said her eyes red and bloodshot from crying.

"Are you okay?" Mayor Lockwood asked as he put a hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged.

"I need to go inside." He said.

She nodded.

"Tyler, come on." Mayor Lockwood instructed his son.

Tyler paused, waiting to see if Jolene was coming with them, but she didn't budge.

After they had went inside, Jolene looked out to the street in front of the house; slowly the back door opened to mayor Lockwood's car.

Jeremy climbed out and slowly walked up to the house, it was obvious from his face he had been crying. He had been at the grill when Tyler's dad had gotten the news of Vicki's death and had got a ride from them.

"Vicki's dead?" Jeremy repeated to himself again as he stepped up onto the porch.

"I found her." Jolene admitted, nodding as more tears poured down her face.

"Oh my god." Jeremy said, running a hand through his hair.

Standing up Jolene looked at Jeremy. "I am so sorry Jer… I know how much you cared about her."

He looked at her slightly confused, "So did you, she was your best friend."

Jolene's throat felt like it was swelled shut as she nodded, and breathed out "I'm so sorry."

Wrapping her arms around Elena's little brother, she held him in a tight hug feeling responsible for his pain.

"Hey…" Elena said as she walked up onto the porch.

"Hey." Both Jeremy and Jolene replied as they let go of each other.

Looking back and forth between their teary faces, Elena hugged her younger brother before pulling Jolene in for a tight hug.

"I'd better go in… check on Matt." Elena said.

Nodding Jeremy said, "I'm coming with you."

Later that night, Jolene stood in the bathroom running a brush through her, still wet, hair.

"Jo?" Tyler called after knocking on the door for the 3rd time.

She opened her mouth but couldn't find her voice to say anything.

"Come on, talk to me." Tyler said as he tried the door knob, but it was locked.

Walking over she unlocked the door and stood back.

Hearing the lock click, Tyler tried the door again and slowly opened it.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I've been better." Jolene said an eyebrow rose at him.

"I… I'm sorry. I don't know what to do, or even what to say to you… I've never had to do this before." Tyler said his words honest as his dark eyes bore into hers.

She wanted to tell him that she just wanted him to hug her, hold her while she cried, but she didn't.

"I… I think I just need to be alone." She said, as she laid her hairbrush down on the sink.

"You sure?" He asked her.

She nodded.

"Goodnight." Tyler said, as he gave her a warm hug.

"Night." She said her voice cracked as she held back her tears.

After Tyler headed down the hallway to his room, she dried her hair and made her back down the hallway to her own room.

Going to the corner of her room where there was some boxes that she hadn't unpacked yet, she pulled a bright orange picture frame out that said _best friends _in dark blue lettering at the top, with matching dark blue hearts on each corner of the frame. In the center of the frame was a picture of her and Vicki from the day they skipped school and headed to the beach.

After looking at the picture for a while she sat it up on her bedside table and sat in silence, only a few minutes later she heard something and looked up to see Damon standing by her open window.

"What are you doing here?" Jolene whispered as she rose to her feet and faced him.

He didn't say anything as he quickly crossed the room, and pulled her into his arms.

She thought about pushing him back, but instead she buried her face in his shirt as a new wave of tears hit her.

Damon held her shaking body tight against his as she continued to cry.

Finally separating, Damon looked at Jolene and opened his mouth to speak.

She prepared herself for another _are you okay, _because that's what everyone kept asking her.

But instead he said, "None of this is your fault."

His words and sincere expression caught her off guard.

"It is… I killed her." Jolene whispered.

"You had to, because of me." Damon corrected her.

"Even in her last few days she tried to warn me, tried to protect me… she told me to run… and told me what you and Stefan are. And you know what I did? I told her and everyone else that she must have gotten her hands on some really powerful stuff because she was really tripping." Jolene said shaking her head.

"Who would have believed her? She sounded crazy." Damon reminded her.

"Everyone always thought that Vicki was such a bad influence on me, everyone said I was better off before I became friends with her. But the truth is… she cleaned my messes up far too many times for me to count. Even in her messed up state, she managed to keep my head above water and keep me from falling further. She was my best friend, and how I repay her… I killed her." Jolene said.

"You have to stop saying that?" Damon told her.

"I did. I killed Vicki." Jolene repeated her voice louder.

In an instant Damon had her pinned against the wall by the window.

"You need to shut up before someone hears you." He said his face only inches away from hers.

"Why are you even here?" Jolene asked, not struggling against his hold on her.

"I came to check on you." He told her.

Nodding a few tears slid down her face as she said, "I thought I was managing with what happened to her, dealing with that I did."

Damon nodded; he had thought Jolene was dealing with it too.

"But then… I fell-slid down a hill and tried to pull myself back up and I found her…" Jolene said, saying more to him than she had to everyone else since she had found Vicki.

"No one was supposed to find her." Damon said.

"You just… tossed her body out in the woods, like a piece of trash…" Jolene said, shaking her head.

"My first and only concern was you. I was trying to get rid of her body before anyone could implicate you." Damon admitted.

"Vicki was erratic and unstable… she was a newly turned vampire with more issues than she could handle." Damon explained.

"Exactly." Jolene said nodding.

Damon looked at her confused.

Putting a hand on his chest and pushing him back Jolene said, "Can't you see it?"

"See what?" Damon asked, confused at her sudden change in emotion and behavior.

"That's why I couldn't be with you anymore." Jolene said, shaking her head back and forth.

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked her.

"If I stayed with you, there would be a day I'd have to choose whether I let you go… or I become a vampire, and if I chose the second I'd be just like her. Unpredictable and dangerous, I wouldn't be able to control the cravings for blood. I would be a monster." Jolene said, finally saying out loud what she had been fearing and her main reason for breaking up with Damon.

"That's what all this has been about? You're afraid you'd be like Vicki?" Damon asked her.

She nodded.

"I could help you control the cravings, Jolene. And it's not like I told you, you had to make any kind of decision like that right now, we never even talked about it." Damon said, a little surprised she had been secretly considering becoming a vampire to stay with him.

"What was the point of talking about it? I already know how I'd be…" Jolene said, shaking her head.

Running his hand down the side of her face, Damon said "You don't give yourself enough credit… you walk around blaming yourself for everything that happens and you think you don't deserve to be happy. You're wrong, Jolene… you don't know how wrong you are."

"You need to go…" Jolene said.

She observed him as he appeared to be listening to something.

"What?" She asked, seconds after, the door to her bedroom opened.

"What are you doing here?" Tyler asked, seeing Damon.

"He just came by to check on me and he's leaving." Jolene said, frowning at Damon, she knew he must have heard Tyler approaching the room but didn't try to leave before he saw him.

"And you just let him in the house? It's the middle of the night!" Tyler said, trying to keep his anger in check.

"I'm sorry." Jolene apologized, looking back at Tyler.

"Get out." Tyler barked at Damon.

Damon looked at Jolene.

"Just go Damon, its late… I need to get some rest." Jolene said her tired eyes pleaded with him to not start a fight with Tyler.

"Aren't you going to walk me out?" Damon asked Jolene to make Tyler mad.

"I think you're a big boy, you can show yourself out." Tyler snapped.

Grabbing the sleeve of Damon's jacket, Jolene said "Come on."

* * *

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N - **_**Thank you all for reading! I really hope you liked the chapter, I'm still having a great time writing this story. **_

_**For anyone who doesn't know… I now have a new Damon/OC fanfic titled "King and Lionheart".**_

**I want to thank everyone who has added this story to your favorites and/or subscribed for alerts. **

**If you are still reading this story, please take a moment or two to leave a review and let me know. It will only take a few seconds, but it means the world to me. I appreciate each one so much! Even if it's just a few lines to let me know you're still with me, all of your kind words are reminders to keep focused and get the next chapter done.**


	20. Bleeding Out

_**Chapter 20 –Bleeding Out.**_**-**

**({})**_**A/N- I'm spreading out events and messing with the timelines from episodes 17-18.**_**{(})**

* * *

**((()))(())((()))**

Jolene looked around the woods as the sunlight beamed down through the tall trees.

She enjoyed the beauty of the moment before realizing she didn't remember how she got there, or what she was even doing there.

Hearing some twigs snap nearby, Jolene spun in a circle trying to see through the trees.

"Hi baby." A woman said as she emerged from the trees.

"Mom?" Jolene asked, looking at her mom shocked. She didn't look emaciated any more, her hair looked full and shiny, her cheeks a rosy pink.

"You look good…" Jolene said, smiling at her.

"All the pain is over, I'm at peace now." Rachel said smiling warmly as she opened her arms for a hug.

Hugging her mother Jolene said, "What do you mean?"

"You'll find out soon, honey. I don't have long but I needed to talk to you." Rachel said, as she brushed some hair out of her daughters face.

"You're playing with fire Jolene." Rachel said shaking her head.

Before Jolene could ask her what she meant, her mom continued talking, "The vampires, Jolene. You have to stay away from them…"

Jolene gasped, "You know about them?"

"I do now, and I wish I knew what I was capable of before it was too late… but I lost the fight." Rachel said, a thin tear leaving a shiny line down her cheek.

"You lost what fight? Mom, you're scaring me!" Jolene said feeling tears sting her own eyes.

"Shhh. Baby, don't worry about me. What's important now is that you realize what you are capable of, you have the powers to protect yourself… it's in your blood." Rachel explained.

"I couldn't handle the power, it was too much… it all started when my father passed away. But you are so much stronger than I was, baby."

The sunlight grew brighter as it flooded the woods with it's warm, white rays.

"I have to go, honey." Rachel said as she pulled Jolene in for a hug.

"Mom, please don't go. I don't understand anything you're talking about." Jolene admitted, feeling a sense of panic and loss.

"Keep yourself safe and stay away from the vampires." Rachel said as she let go of her daughter.

"Mom!" Jolene yelled.

"I love you." She said as she kissed Jolene's forehead and then disappeared.

As soon as her mom was gone the sunlight disappeared and Jolene franticly looked around the trees.

"Jo! Jolene! Wake up!" Tyler yelled as she shook her.

Jolene opened her teary eyes and looked at Tyler who was standing beside her bed.

"You overslept, come on we've got to leave in like 5 minutes." Tyler said, looking at her concerned.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" Jolene asked, sitting up and wiping her eyes.

"I've been trying for over 20 minutes; you were passed the hell out. I was about to get a cup of ice water." Tyler said, hoping it would make her smile but she didn't respond.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I just… had a dream and I don't know, I just feel weird now." Jolene said as she looked up at him.

"What kind of weird?" He asked.

"It's nothing, Ty." Jolene said as she stood and walked over to her closet.

She was quiet the whole drive to school as she kept playing the dream over and over again in her head trying to figure out what on earth would have made her have such a vivid dream.

"You sure you're okay? Your kind of starting to worry me…" Tyler said as they stood outside of Jolene's first class waiting on the first bell to ring.

"Jolene, it's been 2 days since you found Vicki's body and you haven't talked to anyone about it." Tyler said as he stepped a little closer to her.

Jolene thought in her head that she had talked to Damon about it, but didn't tell Tyler that.

"I can't talk about it." Jolene said, looking down at their shoes.

"This doesn't have anything to do with Vicki, I'm just shook up from that damn dream. It was one of those where everything just feels so real!" Jolene exclaimed.

"Wanna tell me about it?" Tyler asked her.

"It was…" her words were cut short as the first bell rang.

"Later, okay. I gotta get across the school to class." Tyler said, as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips.

Smiling she nodded, as he walked away towards his class.

Walking into her history class, Jolene ignored dirty looks the girls right inside of the classroom shot at her.

Taking her assigned seat next to Stefan she looked over at him.

He smiled a friendly smile at her.

"Morning." She whispered.

"Morning." He said back.

After being paired up to work together on a small project, Stefan looked at Jolene "How are you doing?" He asked her.

"I'm managing I think… I don't know, I feel… not like myself." Jolene said, looking at him with a more confused look than he was giving her.

"Is that good or bad?" Stefan asked her.

Before she could answer, the guy sitting behind Jolene tapped her on the shoulder.

Turning around she looked at the guy sitting behind her, "What Josh?" She asked her brows furrowed.

"You found that body in the woods, right?" He asked his eyes alive with excitement.

"Screw you." She snapped her green eyes narrowed in anger at him.

"What did it look like? Was it all decomposed and stuff? Was there bugs everywhere?" He pried.

Jolene turned around and stared at her desk.

Turning around Stefan looked at him.

"Leave her alone." He said.

"Jolene!" Josh said as he tapped her shoulder again.

"I said, leave her alone." Stefan said, turning back around and looking at him.

"Dude, what are you, her boyfriend? Mind your own business." Josh said.

Glancing around at the other students to make sure no one was watching him, Stefan said.

"Look at me Josh."

"What?" Josh said, looking at him.

"Leave Jolene alone." He said.

Josh's eyes widened slightly as he repeated back "I will leave Jolene alone."

Turning back around Stefan looked at Jolene.

"Thanks…" Jolene said, knowing he was just trying to help her, but she didn't agree with him compelling anyone for any reason.

Heading to her class after lunch with Tyler, a teacher stopped her. "Jolene Proctor?"

"Yeah…" Jolene responded, wondering if she was in trouble.

"You need to go to the office." The teacher replied.

"Am I in trouble?" Jolene asked.

"No." the teacher said shaking her head.

"Maybe you should take your friend with you." The teacher said before walking away.

"What the hell was that all about?" Tyler asked her as they headed towards the office.

Walking into the office they saw Jolene's dad and Sherriff Forbes.

"Well it can't be good." Jolene said under her breath as she looked over at Tyler.

"Jolene. Tyler." Sherriff Forbes greeted them.

"What's going on, dad?" Tyler asked as he looked up to see his dad joining them in the office.

"Jolene, you might want to sit down." Mayor Lockwood said, looking at her.

"I'm fine standing, what's going on?" Jolene said.

"Jolene, I'm so sorry… this morning a hiker discovered your Mother's body in the woods." Sherriff Forbes explained.

"What?" Jolene gasped.

"I'm very sorry for your loss." Sherriff Forbes said her eyes teary as she looked at the girl who had already lost so much.

"No… it wasn't her… you're wrong." Jolene said, her eyes filling with tears.

"It was her Jolene." Marshall said as he took a step forward.

"No." Jolene said, shaking her head back and forth.

"How did she die?" Jolene asked.

"It's not important." Mayor Lockwood said, exchanging looks with Marshall and Liz.

"I have a right to know." Jolene snapped at them.

"Blood loss… it was another animal attack." Marshall told his daughter.

Jolene's head started to spin; she knew the animal attacks were a cover for when a vampire had killed their meal.

"Don't worry about your classes for the rest of the day… Tyler, go ahead and take her back to the house." Mayor Lockwood instructed his son as Jolene started to cry.

Nodding, Tyler wrapped his arm around her and led her out of the office through the school.

"Jo? Oh my god what happened?" Elena asked as she passed them in the hallway.

Stopping Jolene looked at Elena and said, "My mom's…dead."

Elena's brown eyes widened.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry." Elena said as she pulled her friend in for a hug. It was one of Elena's sweet, warm, caring hugs and it only made Jolene cry harder when she remembered how she wasn't there at all for her friend when Elena's parents were killed in the car wreck.

"Do you need anything?" Elena asked, keeping her in a tight embrace.

"I don't think so." Jolene mumbled against Elena's shoulder.

"Call me if you need anything." Elena said, finally releasing the hold on her friend.

Jolene nodded and wiped her eyes and Tyler led her the rest of the way to the door by the student parking lot.

"You sure you don't need anything?" Tyler asked standing in the door way of Jolene's room.

"No." Jolene said as she cried silently, letting her tears soak her pillow.

Running a hand through his hair Tyler said "I'm sorry I suck so bad at this comforting thing… I really don't know what do for you."

"I just want to be alone." Jolene said as she lay on her side and wrapped her arms around herself.

He lingered in the doorway for another minute before starting to leave and pulling the door shut behind him.

Then he stopped and came back into the room. Kicking his shoes off as she climbed into the bed with her, wrapping his arms around her as she kept crying.

"I'm not leaving." Tyler whispered into her ear.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N – **_**Thank you all for reading my new chapter! I hope you all liked it.**_

_**We're almost to the start of season 4! I'm all kinds of excited! ^_^**_

_**I'm also doing sets for Jolene and a few of my other fics at Polyvore, so if you'd like to see them it's .com**_

**It would mean so much to me if you would take the time to leave a review and let me know you are still reading and liking the story. Even a small review to let me know you are still reading means so much, and inspires me to keep writing and get the next chapter out quickly.**


	21. Too Close

_**Chapter 21 –Too Close.**_**-**

**({})**_**A/N- I'm spreading out events and messing with the timelines from episodes 17-18.**_**{(})**

**((()))(())((()))**

Jolene looked around the small crowd gathered at the cemetery for her mother's funeral.

"Caroline, can I use your phone please?" Jolene asked.

"Sure." Caroline said handing her cellphone to her.

Sighing when the call went to voicemail Jolene left a message, "Ty, it's me… I don't know where you are, your dad said you left the house before breakfast. I'm here at the cemetery, where are you? Please call me back on Caroline's phone."

"I can't believe he bailed on your mom's funeral." Caroline said, shaking her head as she tucked her phone back into her purse.

"I guess something came up." Jolene said with a small shrug.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Elena asked as Caroline walked away.

"I'm… managing." Jolene said as she looked around the funeral.

"Stefan, can I talk to you?" Jolene asked as she looked at Stefan standing next to Elena.

"Yeah…" He said as he walked away from the crowd with her.

"A vampire killed my mom." Jolene said bluntly.

"Are you sure?" He asked her.

Nodding Jolene said, "Yeah… Caroline's mom said she died from blood loss, it was an animal attack. My mom was in the woods in a spot where drug deals are known to go down… she must have ran into a vampire out there. What other vampires are in Mystic Falls besides you and Damon, and Anna and her mom?"

Stefan avoided her eyes.

"What aren't you telling me?" Jolene asked him.

"Jolene… there were complications with closing the tomb back up." He said.

"What?" She gasped.

"Apparently, bonnie and her grandmother weren't strong enough to replace the seal locking the vampires in." Stefan admitted, a little surprised Damon hadn't told her.

"That's why he was so damn concerned about me wearing this bracelet…" Jolene said, looking down at her vervain filled bracelet Damon had given her.

Standing in the front row as the preacher started the small and short funeral service, Jolene closed her eyes trying to keep the tears in that were threating to fall.

She felt a hand slid into hers, looking over she was surprised to see Damon. A selfish part of her wished that Tyler was there to see it; she knew it would make him jealous.

Jolene looked up at Damon as he stared at her; he gave her hand a small squeeze.

Looking behind them she saw Caroline looking at them her brown eyes wide.

When the service was all over, Jolene hugged and thanked everybody for attending.

"You sure you don't want a ride home?" Elena asked her.

"No… I'm okay. I just need to walk and clear my head." Jolene said.

"Call us if you need anything." Elena said as her and Stefan left.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Damon asked as Jolene walked out of the cemetery.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Jolene responded, looking down at her black dress with dark gray lace around the edges.

"You're right Jolene; he really seems to care so much." Damon said sarcastically.

"Are you really going to do this today, I just buried my mom." Jolene said, looking up at him.

"I'm just saying… I don't understand why you're choosing to be with him." Damon said.

"I'm not going over this again…" Jolene said a heaviness starting to pull her eyelids closed.

"Whoa." Damon said, as he wrapped an arm around her as she started to sway and fall sideways.

"What's going on?" Damon asked her, his face only inches away from hers as he kept her stance stable.

"I don't know… I don't feel like me." Jolene said shaking her head.

"What do you mean?" Damon asked her.

"I don't know, stress or something. I… I have to sit down." Jolene said as her legs felt even more unstable.

"Okay… come on." Damon said as he led her over to his car.

He helped her into the passenger seat, and walked around to get into the drivers seat.

"I feel like my brain is going to explode." Jolene said as she grabbed both sides of her head.

"Did you take something?" Damon asked her.

"No." Jolene admitted.

"Honestly?" Damon asked her.

"I don't care if you don't believe me… I don't care if anyone believes me." Jolene said as she reached over and opened the door.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked her.

"Away." Jolene said as she stood up out of the car it was only seconds before everything went black and her body landed with a thud on the ground.

"Mom"? Jolene asked as she appeared in the same spot in the woods from her dream.

"Hi baby." Her mom said smiling.

"How can I still see you? You're dead… I just buried you." Jolene said, shaking her head.

Seeming to ignore her question Rachel said, "I wish I had – had someone to help me with my transition. But all that matters, is that I'm going to try to help you."

"Transition? Into what?" Jolene asked, pure fear showing in her eyes.

Tilting her head slightly to the side, Rachel gave her daughter a look to stop acting like she knew nothing.

"I mean a friend of mine told me I come from a long lineage of witches… but that's on dad's side of the family." Jolene said, remembering what Stefan had told her.

Shaking her head her mom said, "I don't know anything about your dads family or abilities… but my side of the family… we're mages."

"Mages? Isn't that the same thing as witches?" Jolene questioned.

"We don't just work spells, Jolene. We are masters of the elements; we can bend the atmosphere to what we need. Mage blood is far, far more powerful than witch blood. You inherit the full extent of your powers when the power and responsibilities are passed on; you're the last one left in my bloodline, Jolene. All the power is yours." Rachel said.

"I'm so not ready for this." Jolene said, grabbing her stomach as she felt sick.

"I wasn't either." Rachel said, as she turned and slowly started to walk into the trees.

Following her mom farther into the woods Jolene asked, "Why didn't you ever tell me? This would have been nice to know earlier on before all this shit just got dumped on me." She felt a sudden sense of anger at her mother.

"I couldn't, I didn't understand myself… I still don't know everything." She said, as she took a seat on a broken down stone wall from where an old house once stood.

Standing in front of her with her arms crossed over her chest, Jolene said, "Then why are you even doing this?"

"I don't want you to end up like me. When my dad died, I was not only devastated but… I inherited all these powers and I didn't feel like myself any longer. Something was stirring inside of me and it scared the hell out of me, I didn't want to deal with it." Rachel admitted.

"When grandpa died? That's when you… started using drugs." Jolene realized out loud.

"It was the only way I could cope with it." Rachel said, a hint of shame showing in her eyes.

"Wait… you always talked about grandpa being an alcoholic, is this why?" Jolene asked.

Nodding Rachel said, "I think so. But you are so much strong than it, baby. You can harness the powers and use them to protect yourself."

"I don't want any powers, I don't want to be a master of the element. I just want to freaking pass high school and get a hold on my life!" Jolene exclaimed.

"The only way you are going to get any sort of control is to accept this." She told her.

"How? How can I even begin accept the fact that I'm not human? Powers, abilities whatever you want to call them… I don't want them." Jolene said shaking her head.

Standing from her seat Rachel said, "You can own them. They are a gift; look at what is happening to Mystic Falls. You can kill the vampires."

"You think it was by coincidence that you have already staked and killed 2 of them? Could any other teenage girl pull that off and live to tell about it? It is your duty to use the powers that nature gave you to rid the town of evil." Rachel said.

"Wait… rid the town of evil? Not all of them are bad, mom." Jolene said.

"They are monsters, abominations of nature. You were given the ability to destroy them, I wish I was there in the flesh to help you… but I'm not. This is all up to you." Rachel said to her daughter.

"I didn't use powers to kill the other 2 vampires… how am I supposed to kill them with my powers, I don't even know where to begin." Jolene said, rubbing her temples with stress.

"What is the most dangerous thing to a vampire? What natural force does nature hold over them?" Rachel asked, trying to clue her daughter in.

"Sunlight." Jolene answered.

"Exactly." Rachel said nodded.

A low rumbling noise sounded all around them.

"I have to go, remember what I said and take care of you. I'll contact you again when I can." Rachel said.

"No, mom. Please, don't leave me! I don't even know what I'm supposed to do! I can't do this alone!" Jolene shrieked feeling more panicked than before.

"There is a small cabin not too far from here… the vampires from the tomb have taken up residence there. Go now, Jolene." Rachel said, before disappearing into a shiny white dust that blew away with the ice cold air that moved through the trees.

**(())**

"Jolene?" Caroline asked, as her friend started to move around in the hospital bed.

"Jo? Thank god!" Caroline exclaimed as saw her friend open her eyes.

"Where am I?" Jolene asked, sitting up in the bed and looking around.

"The hospital, Jolene you've been in a coma for almost 3 days. No one knew what happened to you, they ran tests and said that you're brain activity was off the charts but we couldn't get you awake." Caroline said her eyes teary.

"I... I have to go." Jolene said, as she pulled the I.V from her arm and started removing the sensors to all the other machines.

"You're not supposed to do that." Caroline said as she stood and grabbed Jolene's hand to hold her still.

"I have to Caroline, let go of me." Jolene said her green eyes wide.

"Go where?" Caroline asked, shocked at her friends behavior.

Realizing Caroline wasn't going to let her out of her sight, Jolene lay back on the bed and pretended to relax some.

"Could you please go get the nurse? I have a really bad headache and I need something for it." She lied.

"Okay, stay here." Caroline said before leaving the room.

Jolene quickly grabbed the bag of clothes Caroline had packed for her, and changed into a pair of jeans and a dark pink hoodie.

Sneaking out of her room she headed down a back flight of stairs, thankful that her dad had worked in the hospital her whole life so she knew her way around.

Going into the locker room for hospital staff, she found her dads locker, opened it, took his car keys, and snuck out of the hospital unnoticed.

**((()))(())((()))**

_**A/N - Thanks for reading! **_

_**Everyone else excited? We only mere days away from season 4! Is it so wrong of me to want Elena to be human for a little while longer? lol**_

_**I also have started posting things for this story (and a few of my others) on Polyvore. If you'd like to check them out it's .com**_

**Please take a moment or two to leave a review! I appreciate them all so much, it's all of you who keep me motivated to keep writing and get these chapters posted. **


	22. This Girl is on Fire

_**Chapter 22 –This Girl is on Fire.**_**-**

**({})**_**A/N- I'm spreading out events and messing with the timelines from episodes 17-18.**_**{(})**

**((()))(())((()))**

Pulling up in the woods not to far away from the house her mom had told her about in her vision, Jolene shut her dads car off and pulled her hood up.

Looking out the window in the rain, she debated whether she had really been communicating with her dead mom or if she was starting to lose her mind.

_Here goes nothing, _she breathed out as she opened the door and stepped out into the cold rain. She tracked over the wet ground and soggy leaves as she made her way to the house.

Opening a back door she snuck into the house, thinking she was doing good to stay hidden until she saw a teacher from her school stake a vampire in the kitchen.

"Mr. Saltzman?" Jolene breathed out.

He looked up at her as he turned the water faucet on and the food processor in front of the human who owned the house on.

"Jolene? What are you doing here?" Alaric asked her, his eyes wide.

Looking down at the dead vampire she said, "uh… apparently the same thing as you."

"You need to go. Now!" He said, as he led the human to the door with him.

Jolene stood still for a moment trying to process what had just happened, when she saw Alaric push the woman out of the door.

She walked over just in time to see Damon snap the home owners neck.

Jolene's eyes widened as she looked at him.

"You… weren't supposed to see that. You're not even supposed to be here." Damon said, looking at Jolene.

"You were supposed to compel her." Alaric said, stopping Damon as he walked into the house.

"It doesn't work that way." He said, before turning his attention to Jolene.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked her.

"It's a long story… my mom told me to come here." Jolene said, as it felt like her head was spinning.

"Your mom's dead." Damon pointed out.

"I know." Jolene said, nodding.

"You need to leave, it's not safe." Damon told her.

"I…" She started to argue but he cut her off.

"I don't have time for this, you need to go. I'm grabbing Stefan and getting out." Damon said.

"She was human." Alaric said, still angered at Damon for killing the woman.

"And I'm not, so I don't care. Get out of here…and hide the body." Damon said as he pushed Alaric from the house.

"Go Jolene." Damon said as he pushed Jolene out of the house too.

"You… you know about the vampires?" Jolene asked Alaric as they stood outside in the rain.

"I didn't know you did." Alaric said.

"I… used to date Damon." Jolene admitted as she looked down at the dead body.

Mr. Saltzman raised an eyebrow before leaning down and grabbing the dead woman under her arms and started to drag her body away.

"My life is a joke." Jolene said.

"What?" Alaric asked her.

Leaning down and grabbing the dead woman's ankles Jolene helped Alaric move the body.

"My ex-boyfriend is a vampire, I'm talking to my dead mom, and now I'm helping my history teacher hide a body. My life is a terrible joke." Jolene said.

"I can get her from here; Elena is in the car parked behind those trees over there. Go." Alaric told her.

"But I can help you." Jolene argued.

"Go, Jolene." Alaric said, worried about her safety.

Pausing for another moment, Jolene turned and jogged through the woods until she spotted Damon's car.

"Jolene?" Elena said as she got out of the car.

"Hey!" Jolene said.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked her.

"Long story. What's that?" Jolene asked looking the metal device in Elena's hand.

"It's a vervain tranquilizer… I can't stay in the car any longer… I've got to find Stefan." Elena said, her eyes pleaded for Jolene's understanding.

Looking behind her to make sure Alaric wasn't approaching them Jolene said, "Alright lets go."

After sneaking up to the house and down into the basement, Elena and Jolene almost got caught by a tomb vampire, but Damon killed him.

"Are you both insane?" Damon asked, looking at them.

The trio busted into the room where they had Stefan strung up and they got him untied.

"You guys get him to the car." Damon instructed them.

"What about you?" Jolene asked as she helped Elena pull a jacket around Stefan.

"You guys rescue and I'll distract." Damon told her.

"I'll come with you." Jolene said to him.

"No." Damon told her.

"I can help…" Jolene said her eyes showed her concern for him.

Holding onto her chin and tilting her head up to look at him Damon said, "I'm not risking your life. I don't want you hurt. Just help Elena get him to the car… I'll be fine."

"But…" Jolene started to protest, when Stefan lost his balance and fell against a wall.

Jolene helped Elena get him steadied and when she looked back Damon was gone.

After they got about halfway to the car Jolene looked at Elena and said, "Can you get him from here?"

"What about you?" Elena asked her eyes wide.

"I can't leave Damon back there." Jolene admitted.

"Jo…" Elena protested not wanting to see one of her best friends get hurt.

"I can't leave him, Elena." Jolene said, her green eyes dark.

"Be careful." Elena said as she continued on her way to the car with Stefan.

Nodding Jolene ran back to the house, her converse shoes sliding on the wet leaves as she bolted towards the house.

Running into the house Jolene watched in horror as she saw 2 of the vampires grab Damon and hold him while a third vampire beat him.

Concentrating on her fear for Damon's safety and what her mom had told her, Jolene raised her hands and the vampires holding Damon let go and screamed as a bright light filled the room and burnt them just like pure sunlight.

The third vampire took off.

Damon looked at her shocked as he rose to his feet.

"Good thing you've got your ring, huh?" Jolene asked, a small but smug smile started to spread across her lips as she could feel adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Before Damon could say anything he ran towards her, knocking her to the side as he staked a vampire that was sneaking up on Jolene.

Landing with a thud on the floor Jolene grabbed her elbow and gasped in pain.

Just then a shot rang out and both Damon and Jolene looked up to see Alaric holding a shot gun.

"I'm going after Fredrick." Damon said, looking between Alaric and Jolene before running from the room.

"How did you do that thing with the light?" Alaric asked her.

"I'm… kind of like a witch…" Jolene said, before running after Damon.

Alaric followed Jolene as they met up with Damon on the porch.

How many of the vervain darts do you have left?" Damon asked Alaric.

"One." He replied as they looked at the vampires now descending on the house.

"Not gonna be enough." Damon said, as he grabbed Jolene's hand and pulled her back into the house and with Alaric following them.

"I might be able to the do the sun thing again." Jolene said, looking at Damon.

"Are you sure?" Damon asked them as he stopped for a moment.

"I… uh… I'm not sure." Jolene admitted.

The trio stood inside and faced the door as the vampires tried to get in.

"Stop! What's going on here?" A female voice asked, from outside the house.

Jolene watched as Anna and her mother walked into the house.

"What did you do?" Pearl asked, surveying all of the dead vampires.

"Me? Your merry little band of vampires spent the day torturing my brother." Damon told her as he stepped forward and partially in front of Jolene.

Realizing all that had happened, Pearl said "Trust me, the parties responsible for this will be dealt with."

"Our little arrangement doesn't work unless you learn to control them." Damon told her.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." Pearl admitted

"Well it did." Damon said as he again grabbed Jolene's hand and pulled her out the door with him past Pearl and Anna.

Once they were out of the house a little ways into the woods, Jolene pulled her hand from Damon's grip.

"What arrangement?" Jolene asked.

"It's not important." Damon said.

"it is to me. Especially when you didn't even tell me the other vampires escaped from the tomb! Didn't you think I had a right to know?" Jolene asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I was trying to protect you." Damon said.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Alaric spoke before she could.

"Look, whatever is going on between the two of you… can you at least wait to figure it out when were away from here? We need to go." Alaric said, as he started towards Damon's car.

Shaking her head, Jolene turned to walk in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked her.

"I'm parked over there…" She admitted.

"Let me take you home." He said, following her.

"No… I stole my dad's keys and if I don't get the car back to the hospital before the end of his shift he'll probably have me arrested." Jolene said, not looking at him as she continued her trek through the wet grass.

**(())((()))(())**

Pulling back into the reserved parking spot for her dad, Jolene looked up to see her dad and Caroline standing just inside of the sliding door.

Exiting the car she headed inside.

"Are you okay? Oh my god! Is that blood?" Caroline asked, looking at the sleeve of her hoodie.

"Uh… yeah, I fell… landed on my arm." Jolene said, as she handed her dads keys back to him.

"Why the hell did you take off?" Caroline asked.

"It's not important." Jolene avoided her question before looking at her dad. "I'm sorry I stole your car."

"Are you okay, Jolene?" He asked her.

"My arms a little sore…" Jolene said, her voice trailing off.

"You were in a coma… you miraculously wake up and you flee the hospital and steal my keys, what the hell is going on with you?" Marshall asked his daughter.

"Careful dad, you almost sounded like you care." Jolene snapped.

"You are my daughter, I do care about you." Marshall said.

''No, you don't have the right to care. You signed all your rights to me over… if you're going to call the cops on me for stealing your car, just do it." She said, shaking her head.

"Jolene, you have to look at things from my point of view." Marshall pleaded with his daughter.

"You're point of view…? How about you look at things from my point of view, you kicked me out on the streets, didn't care if I had a roof over my head or food to eat. You had my phone shut off and you made it damn clear that we aren't family anymore." Jolene said, anger coursing through her.

"I think we need to talk… Marshall started to say, but was cut off when the doors opened.

"Jolene, glad to see you're awake." Mayor Lockwood said, as he joined the group.

"Thanks." Jolene muttered, looking past him to where Tyler was standing, as he avoided her gaze.

"Thank you for the call Caroline." Richard said, as he nodded towards Caroline.

"You're welcome…" Caroline said, looking over at Jolene.

"You ready to go?" He asked, turning his attention back to Jolene.

"Yeah…" She said nodding as Caroline handed her the small bag of clothes.

"I'd like to look at your elbow first, you're bleeding through the sweatshirt…" Marshall said turning his attention back to his daughter.

"I'll be fine." Jolene said as she turned to leave with Tyler and his dad.

The ride back to the Lockwood mansion was silent.

Jolene stood in the bathroom with the door open as she washed her arm off and looked at her elbow, it was swollen and some of the skin was missing.

"What happened?" Tyler asked, walking in the room with her.

"Like you care." Jolene said, cringing as she cleaned the wound with peroxide.

"I do care, Jo." Tyler said, walking up to her as he took the lid off the antibiotic cream and handed it to her.

"You have a hell of a way of showing it, Tyler. First you skip my mom's funeral without saying a word to me, and then I wake up after apparently being in coma and you're nowhere to be found." Jolene said, shaking her head as she put a large band aide over the wound.

"I hadn't left your side since Damon brought you to the hospital, jo. I only left about an hour before you woke up to come home and shower… I was just about to head back when Caroline called to say you woke up and disappeared on them." Tyler said.

"Why weren't you at the funeral?" Jolene asked.

He stayed quiet.

When he didn't answer she shook her head.

"You know what its fine. If you didn't want to be in this relationship, all you had to do was say so… I'll be out by the end of the week." She said, as she started to walk past him.

"No. I want this… I want you." Tyler said, blocking her exit.

"Apparently you don't, all of my friends were at the funeral… even Damon." Jolene said, knowing she'd get under his skin with the comment.

"I wanted to be there…" Tyler said, his eyes honest as he spoke,.

"Then why weren't you?" She asked.

"I didn't want you to hate me." Tyler said.

"What are you talking about?" She asked confused.

Taking his phone out of his pocket and putting it on speaker he played her a voicemail.

"Tyler, this is Jolene's mom, Rachel. I tried her number, but it said it was disconnected… I found your number in one of my old phones. I know it's late, but I'm heading to Mystic Falls and I should be there in the morning. Tell Jolene that I'm so-so sorry for what happened when you kids came here. I can't imagine what she must be going through. I'm gonna make it up to her, I'm turning a new page and kicking my bad habits. Please have her call me as soon as you get this."

Tears stung Jolene's eyes as she heard the message.

Tyler looked at Jolene, his own eyes misty as he spoke, "I got this the night before they found her body… I didn't tell you because I thought you were better off not going around her. I am so sorry."

"That's why you skipped the funeral, because you thought I'd hate you for not telling me?" Jolene asked.

He nodded.

"You should have told me… but I don't hate you." Jolene said, as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. She felt his body relax as he held her in his arms.

"I just didn't want to see you get hurt again, Jo. And now I'm the reason you didn't get to see her again… maybe if I had told you she wouldn't have ever been in the woods. Maybe she was upset because she didn't hear back from you and that's why she was out there…" Tyler said, finally opening up to her.

"It's not your fault. It's not my fault, the only ones whose fault it is the one who killed her." Jolene said.

Tyler let go of her and looked confused.

"What?" Jolene asked.

"The person who killed her? Wasn't it another animal attack?" Tyler asked.

Jolene's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I said the one who killed her… not the person. Animals are beings too." Jolene said, raising an eyebrow mentally kicking her for such a slip up.

"So I fessed up… where were you when yu fled the hospital?" Tyler asked.

"I was helping Elena with something." Jolene half-lied.

"With what?" Tyler asked.

"Just some things…" Jolene said, unable to come up with a good enough lie.

"Why are you lying?" Tyler asked, seeing right through her.

"I'm, not lying Elena was there." Jolene said.

"Who else?" Tyler asked.

Jolene was silent.

"Damon?" Tyler asked, taking another step back.

"He is my friend, Tyler." Jolene argued.

She saw the veins show in his forehead as it took every bit of strength he had not to blow up at her.

"I don't understand it.' Tyler admitted.

"I know." Jolene nodded.

"I need some sleep; I have to stop by work before school tomorrow morning to get my first pay check." Jolene said, as she looked at Tyler.

Tyler nodded, but didn't move.

"I don't feel the same way about Damon as when me and him were together. He's my friend, but that's it… you have nothing to worry about." Jolene said, not sure if she entirely believed the words herself.

"I don't like you even talking to him." Tyler admitted.

"I know… but…" She started to say, but her sentence was cut short as Tyler said.

"But you're the only friend he's got. Yeah, I know." Tyler said.

"I'm going to bed." Jolene said as she walked past him out of the bathroom and down the hall to her bedroom.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N- **_**Thank you all for reading! **_

_**How did you all like the season 4 premier? I was on edge the whole episode, I definitely think we're off to an intense start.**_

_**Also, check out my Jolene inspired sets on my polyvore, the link is at the top of my profile!**_

_**The first chapter of a new Vampire Diairies colab with the wonderful Miss E Charlotte is now posted, the story is called "Fire and Ice" I highly suggest you check it out... ^_-**_

**I'd really appreciate it if you would take just a few moments to leave a review and let me know if you are still reading. You guys really have no idea how much it means to me when I get reviews on my stories! They inspire me to keep going. ^_^**


	23. We Own the Night

_**Chapter 23 –We Own the Night.**_**-**

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"Jolene." Marshall said as he approached his daughter.

"Ugh. Dad, what are you doing here?" Jolene asked as she turned and faced him.

"It's the founder's day celebration… being a Proctor and all I'm obligated to be here. I'm surprised you're here, and in a dress." Marshall said, taking a drink from his glass.

"Yeah, well… if I didn't come Tyler's mom probably would have shot me." Jolene admitted, her eyes lingering on the amber liquid in her dads cup.

"How are you holding up, Jo?" Marshall asked.

"Come on, what's will all the formalities? You didn't even to speak to me at moms funeral." Jolene said, smoothing the dark purple fabric of her dress down.

"I wanted to… but I didn't know what to say." Marshall admitted.

"Sorry for you loss. If you need anything let me know. How are you?... blah blah blah. There were a ton of things you could have said." Jolene pointed out.

"I'm serious, Jolene." Marshall said.

"What do you want? There's a ton of people here… why are you picking me to bug?" She questioned.

"I have something for you." He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wrapped box.

"What's this for?" She asked.

Opening the box she saw it was a shiny new smartphone.

"A cellphone?" She questioned.

"I shouldn't have had your phone turned off in the first place; this one is already anticipated with your old number." Marshall said.

"Are you trying to buy your forgiveness?" Jolene questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Would it work?" He asked, a small smile on his lips.

"Maybe if you bought me a house… or maybe a brand new car." Jolene said, her expression still stone.

"Look, I know I've been terrible to you. But honestly, I didn't know how to handle you anymore… you were so out of control and I never knew where you were, or what you were doing." He admitted.

"I thought tough love might be the trick… let you know that what you were doing was completely unacceptable, and try to give you some boundaries. I really thought the treatment facility in Georgia would do you some good, get you away from this town and all of your stress. I honestly thought that given the option to go get the help you need, or to take full legal responsibility for yourself you'd pick the right option and go get help." Marshall said, glancing around at the party.

"But I'll be damned if you didn't sign the papers and get the mayor to take you in." Marshall said shaking his head in disbelief.

"In my opinion I did make the best choice." Jolene defended herself.

"Maybe you did. Jolene, despite of all the setbacks lately… you're doing so well. I'm proud of you." Marshall said.

Jolene's bright green eyes shimmered with all the lights from the party, as she looked at him.

"Maybe we can try to start rebuilding our relationship." Marshall offered.

Jolene looked down at the new cellphone and back up to him.

"I want you in my life dad, but I can't take your attitude towards me… it's like everything I've done is such a disappointment to you. How do you think that makes me feel?" Jolene opened up some.

"You are my daughter, and even with the rough patches I am so proud of you." Marshall said, his eyes revealing his honesty.

"Where do we go from here?" Jolene asked him.

"Lunch this weekend?" He questioned.

"Sure…" Jolene nodded.

"I got you something else…" Marshall said, as he pulled a dark blue box from his pocket and handed it to her.

Opening it she saw a beautiful silver heart locket, it had open designs leaving the inside of the heart visible.

"It's… beautiful." Jolene said, looking at it.

"It was your mothers… I found it when I was going through some of her things in storage. I thought you'd like it." He said.

"I love it." Jolene admitted.

She looked closer and saw there was something inside the heart.

"What's inside of it?" Jolene asked.

"Umm… it's just some herbs." Marshall admitted.

Raising it to her nose and smelling it, her eyes widened.

"What kind of herb… it smells good." Jolene said, watching his reaction closely.

"It's called vervain." Marshall admitted.

"Here let me put this on you." He said taking the necklace from her.

"You look beautiful, Jolene!" Marlaina exclaimed as she wandered over to them.

"Thanks." Jolene said, her eyes went to Marlaina's wrist where a small box charm hung from a gold chain.

"I like your bracelet." Jolene said.

"Thank you, your father gave it to me a day or so ago. It's got a lovely smelling herb inside of the box… vervain I believe." Marlaina said her voice unsure as she looked at Marshall who nodded.

"Oh honey, there is Kelly… we should go see how she doing since Vicki's death." Marlaina said placing a hand on her husband's arm and looking towards Matt's mother.

"We'll catch up with you later, honey. I'll see you this weekend." Marshall said as he leaned down and gave her a small kiss on the forehead before walking away.

Taking the phone out of the box she slid it in her purse and threw the box away.

Her spirit lifted a little as the music changed to something a bit more modern than the classic piano music Carol had the DJ playing.

"You look fantastic." Damon said, surveying her form fitting dark purple dress.

"I need to talk to you." Jolene said.

"Surprise. You've been avoiding me for what is it… 3 – 4 days now?" He questioned.

Making their way out the back door of the Lockwood mansion Jolene made sure no one was within earshot as when she said.

"My dad just gave me a necklace… filled with vervain." Jolene said, looking at him.

"Well, he is on the council." Damon retorted.

"So?" Jolene questioned.

"Oh Jolene, you don't think the council just sits around and plans boring charity events and fundraisers, do you?" He asked smugly.

"Oh my god… everyone on the council knows about vampires? My dad, Sherriff Forbes… Tyler's parents?" She asked, shaking her head.

"Bingo." Damon responded.

"So, back to the more pressing matter… why have you been avoiding me?" Damon asked her.

"Because you wouldn't tell me what agreement Pearl was talking about." Jolene said, referencing the last time she had talked to Damon when she had helped them save Stefan from the tomb vampires.

"I told you the less you know, the better it is for you." Damon said.

"That crap doesn't work with me, Damon. I have a right to know what's going on in this town and what my boy..." She stopped, eyes wide and cleared her throat before saying. "and what my friends have to do with it."

"You said boyfriend." Damon pointed out.

"I said friend." Jolene argued, arms crossed over her chest.

"No, you didn't." Damon argued back, eyebrows raised.

"Look, I said friend. And regardless… tell me what's going on."

"You first." He said.

"What?" she asked.

"Tell me how you burned those vampires." Damon said.

"My mom told me how." Jolene admitted.

"Your dead mom?" Damon questioned.

"Yes, my dead mom still communicates with me through my dreams. She's trying to help me harness these powers and deal with everything." Jolene told him.

"Whoa." Damon said.

"Yeah, I know. So your turn." Jolene said.

"Pearl knows I'm on the council… and she wants to take over the town." Damon admitted.

Jolene gasped.

"Told you - you didn't want to know." Damon said.

"So what did you say?" Jolene asked,

"I had to agree." Damon said.

"You had to agree? How about fight, Damon!" Jolene yelled.

"Tried… got my eyes gauged out. Not a fun experience." He told her.

"Maybe I can." Jolene said.

"Oh no. No way." Damon said, looking at her.

"But…" Jolene started to argue.

"She's a lot older than the vampires you've fought." Damon told her.

Jolene bit the inside of her cheek.

"What are you?" Damon asked her.

"I'm a witch, Damon. But you already knew that." Jolene pointed out.

"I've known a lot of witches… and I've never seen them burn vampires to a crisp Jolene." Damon said.

Jolene wanted to tell him she was not only a witch, but a mage also. But the last dream she had with her mom her mom made it clear that no one was supposed to know about the mage part of her.

"Well, I'm not like anyone else." Jolene pointed out.

They were silent for a moment before Damon said; "Freudian slip."

"No it wasn't I said friend." Jolene said, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"Classic Freudian slip… you called me your boyfriend. You slipped up and revealed what you're really thinking." Damon said, trying to prove his point

"Reaching pretty far don't you think? I said friend…" Jolene said, her breath catching in her throat as she realized Damon had moved closer and was only a few inches away.

"You may have said friend, but that's not what you meant and we both know it… you're just afraid to admit it." Damon said, as he ran a hand down the side of her face.

"I want you as a friend… my boyfriend is Tyler, he's the one I want to be with." Jolene choked out as Damon stepped closer and kept his hand on the side of her face.

"That's not true." He said leaning in until their lips were almost touching.

"Yes it is." Jolene said, slightly turning her face to avoid the temptation of pressing her lips to his.

"You sure?" Damon asked, turning her face until she faced him again.

His breath hit her lips and it took her a moment to speak. "We're just friends." She managed to breathe out.

"Then why are you still out here with me, and not inside with Tyler?" Damon asked her, his eyes searching her face in the bright moonlight.

Leaning in their lips only a few centimeters apart when Jolene pulled back.

"You're right…. I… I shouldn't be out here." Jolene said, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed.

"Jolene…" Damon said, but it was too late she was already walking in a very brisk pace towards to mansion.

Opening the back door and practically running inside, she bumped into someone.

"Kelly? Hey!" Jolene said.

"Jolene!" Kelly said, opening her arms and hugging the girl.

"Are you okay?" She asked the teenager.

"I'm sorry; I was distracted I didn't see you there." Jolene said.

"It's okay; I've been meaning to find you… I wanted to thank you for all your help with Vicki's funeral and memorial service. I know how close you two were." Kelly said, keeping a hand on Jolene's shoulder.

"She was my best friend." Jolene said, her bottom lip quivering a little.

"She thought the world of you, Jo. After you two started hanging out you were all she could talk about, how real you were and how she finally found a friend that got her." Kelly said, her eyes revealing her pain.

"I'm so sorry for what happened to her." Jolene said, pulling Matt's mom in for hug.

"It's not your fault." Kelly said as she held onto Jolene. The two of them had gotten pretty close from when Jolene used to stay over at Vicki's all the time.

Letting go of her and pulling back from the hug Kelly said, "I need a drink… you want one?"

"I… uh…" Jolene stuttered as she saw Damon walking in the door.

"I don't want one… I need one." Jolene answered as she looped her arm through Kelly's and followed her to the bar.

She had a few drinks and talked to Kelly for a little while, before taking another glass and walking around.

After finishing the drink she looked around and sat the glass down in the base of a plant.

"I saw that." Tyler said.

"Shh…it's our little secret." Jolene said smiling as Tyler walked up and kissed her.

"You're lucky my dad didn't see it… no drinking, remember Jolene?" Tyler asked her an eyebrow raised.

"Hypocrite. I saw you and Matt sneak off with that bottle." Jolene said, an eyebrow raised.

"Besides… your dad is too worried about trying to get everybody's vote in the next election to be concerned with what we're doing." Jolene pointed out.

"True." Tyler said, laughing.

"I've been looking for you, where have you been?" Tyler asked her.

"Oh… just around socializing and having Matt's mom buy me drinks… you know, normal stuff." Jolene said.

"uh-huh." Tyler said.

"Let's dance!" Jolene exclaimed as she felt he alcohol hit her.

"Let's go upstairs." Tyler said as he leaned forward and kissed her, trailing his mouth down her face to her throat.

Playfully pushing him back.

"I want to dance, Tyler." She said.

"We could dance our way up to my room…" He said, pressing his lips against hers again.

Kissing him back and then pulling away she said, "If you don't want to dance… I'll find a guy who does."

Tyler watched as she walked past him and headed towards the middle of the room where lots of people were already dancing.

Feeling a pair of arms slide around her she said, "Thought you didn't want to dance."

Spinning her and then pulling her up against him Tyler said, "I don't… but I can't stand the thought of you in someone else's arms."

Smiling a beaming smile she pressed a passionate kiss to his lips.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N -_ Thank you all for reading, I was going to wait until the weekend to post this... but since there is an all new episode tonight I went ahead and posted it! ^_^_**

_**I'm totally freaking out from the previews of tonights ep, I won't get to watch it until tomorrow though. v_v**_

**Please take a moment or so to leave me a review. I really, really, really appreciate it! There are days when I don't feel much like writing or updating, and I'll go back and look over the review and they truly inspire me to keep going! So please, if you are a fan of this story don't be a silent reader. ^_^**


	24. Beautiful World

_**Chapter 24 –Beautiful World.**_**-**

**((()))(())((()))**

"Hey!" Jolene said running up and giving Bonnie a hug.

"Hey." Bonnie said back with a smile.

"I can't believe Elena isn't waiting here at your locker." Jolene pointed out.

"Elena doesn't know I'm home… you and Caroline are the only ones I told." Bonnie admitted.

"Whoa… what? Bonnie, you and Elena are like the best – of best friends. I thought you would have called her before me." Jolene said.

"It's complicated." Bonnie admitted.

"Bonnie what's going on?" Jolene asked.

Bonnie explained how she felt like her friendship was strained because of her relationship with Stefan.

"But I'm friends with both Damon and Stefan…" Jolene admitted.

"You broke up with Damon." Bonnie added.

"Yeah, but not because of what he is… I'm sorry about your Grams… but you can't keep blaming them; neither one of them meant for her to get hurt." Jolene defended.

"Look at all you've lost because of the vampires… Vicki, your mom… how can you just accept them?" Bonnie asked.

"Because, just like normal non-vampire people there are good and bad; Stefan and Damon are good." Jolene said.

"You're a witch Jolene." Bonnie said.

Jolene looked around, "Yeah, I know." Jolene had been having regular phone calls with Bonnie and keeping her updated.

"It's like what my Grams said; witches always get tied up in vampire problems. I don't want to be involved anymore." Bonnie admitted.

"So that means… what? You're cutting Elena out of your life because she is with Stefan?" Jolene asked.

"No… I just can't be around her when she is with them. Same with you, if you are with Damon I won't be there. I can't do it." Bonnie said.

"I'm glad your back, Bonnie." Jolene said, as the bell rang and she turned towards class.

**(((The next day)))**

"Jolene Proctor?" A man asked.

Jolene looked up from the file cabinet where she was filing paper away in Mayor Lockwood's office after school.

"Uh… yes?" She asked confused.

"My name is Patrick Jones, I'm the attorney handling your late mother's estate. Your father told me you I could find you here." He said with a smile as he reached out a hand.

Jolene politely shook his hand.

"What can I help you with?" Jolene asked, raising an eyebrow.

"There were a few legalities I had to take care of before I could contact you. Jolene, you are the sole beneficiary of your mother's life insurance policy." He told her.

"Okay…" Jolene said not understanding exactly what he meant.

"After the legal fees, you're looking at about this much." He said pulling a paper from a folder and handing it to her.

She looked at the dollar amount circled in red.

"Oh my god… that is a lot of money." Jolene breathed out.

"Indeed it is Miss Proctor." The lawyer said nodding.

"But I'm only 17… can I even collect this or does it go to my dad?" Jolene asked.

He looked confused.

"Didn't you sign papers accepting full legal responsibility for yourself?" He asked.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"It all goes to you, it will be a few weeks before the last of the paper work is done and you can collect the money." He told her.

She nodded, her eyes looking back down at the paper.

"Thank you…" She said, looking back up at him.

He nodded and pulled a small key ring from his pocket.

"There is also the matter to discuss of the house." He said.

"The house? I thought she rented it…" Jolene said, confused.

"Not the one she was living in… she purchased a house here in Mystic Fall's right after her divorce. She also left that to you." He explained.

Her eyes widened even more.

"If you are done with your job, I could take you to the house so you can see it." He said.

"I just filed the last of my paper work away." Jolene said, nodding.

The lawyer pulled up in a driveway behinds Jolene's father's car.

"Patrick, it's good to see you again." Marshall said as he walked over to the car.

Shaking his hand the lawyer said, "You to Marshall."

"I remember this house… mom got it with the alimony settlement from you. But she didn't even live here a month before she left because she couldn't stand seeing you and Marlaina around town." Jolene said as she looked at the two story brick house.

"It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom. Aside from sitting empty for years it's in pretty good condition; your father paid the past due property taxes." Patrick explained.

Jolene looked to her dad who smiled and nodded.

"So… I have a house… a house that's all mine?" Jolene questioned.

"It's yours to move into, sell… whatever you'd like to do with it." Patrick explained.

"I don't want to sell it." Jolene said, quickly looking up to the lawyer.

"I have all the legal documents at my office when you're ready to sign them for the house." He said as he handed her the keys.

Jolene nodded.

"We'll talk this over and swing by your office before closing, thank you." Marshall said as he shook the lawyers hand again.

"Well, it's not exactly the Lockwood Mansion…" Marshall said.

"It's beautiful." Jolene said, rubbing her thumb over the cold metal of the door key in her hand as she looked up to the light brown brick house.

"So this is really mine… I can move in here?" Jolene asked.

"I haven't been inside; I don't know how good the interior condition is. You might want to have it inspected first. But your mother left the house to you." Marshall said.

"Thank you." Jolene said, looking up to her dad.

**(((Later that night)))**

"What were you talking to my parents about?" Tyler asked as he walked into the kitchen and got a drink from the refrigerator.

Jolene looked up from her homework and said, "I was going to tell you…"

"Tell me what?" Tyler asked her.

"I met with a lawyer today… my mom left me a house that she bought in Mystic Falls." Jolene admitted.

"Meaning…?" Tyler asked.

"Meaning that as soon as I get everything finalized I'll be moving out of here." Jolene admitted.

"You can't." Tyler said, sitting his can of soda down on the counter.

"Actually… I can do what I want." Jolene said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"You don't need a house, Jo. You need to stay here." Tyler said.

"You don't really get to decide what I need." Jolene argued.

"Don't I? Because every decision you make for yourself is pretty much crap." Tyler argued back.

"That's a low blow." Jolene said, hurt showing in her eyes.

"I didn't mean that." Tyler said, shaking his head frustrated at himself for snapping at her.

"You're doing really good… putting your life back together. I just really don't think that you can handle this." Tyler admitted.

"I'm doing fine." Jolene said, crossing her arms over her chest as she felt attacked.

"What if you don't? What if you're sitting there all alone in your house and you start using again?" Tyler asked, his fears showing through his words.

"I won't." Jolene said.

"How many times have you said that?" He asked.

"I mean it this time." Jolene retorted.

"This could be really good for me." Jolene defended her decision.

"Or it could be terrible…" He said.

"Either way… I have to try. You and your parents have been so good to me, and I'm so appreciative. But I'm not their responsibility… I have to find my own way Ty." She said.

"The best thing for you to is to stay here." Tyler argued his point again.

"You don't get to make that decision." Jolene said, her head tilted to the side as she looked at him.

"If you're not living here, I can't see what you're up to. I won't be able to help you." Tyler said, shaking his head.

"See what I've been up to…?" Jolene asked.

"That's not what I meant." Tyler said.

"Oh my god… you've been searching my room haven't you? I never said anything because I just assumed it was your mom and I felt like I didn't have the right to complain when their keeping a roof over my head! But this whole time you've been going through my stuff!" Jolene yelled her green eyes wide.

"I don't want you to start using again Jo." Tyler defended himself.

"I understand that… but going through my stuff? That's the biggest invasion of privacy!" Jolene yelled.

"I'm sorry." Tyler apologized.

"Why did you even do it?" Jolene yelled again, still furious at him.

"I'm afraid that the next time you fall off the wagon, no one is going to be able to save you." Tyler admitted.

Her face softened and tears stung her eyes.

"So am I." She admitted.

"Then stay here, rent the house until you graduate or something." Tyler urged.

"I think I'm ready to be on my own Tyler. Without anyone's parents telling me to get up for school, or a daily room search. I really think I'm ready for this… and I need you to trust me Ty." Jolene begged.

"Trust you?" Tyler repeated under his breath.

"Yes… haven't I at least earned that?" Jolene asked him.

"No, I can't trust you." Tyler admitted.

"What?" She gasped.

"Look at what you've done just since we've been together; you've stolen 2 cars to go see Damon." Tyler pointed out the time she took his and her father's car without asking to see Damon.

"Is this because you're really worried I'm going to turn back to drugs, or are you more worried I'm going to go back to Damon?" Jolene asked.

"Both." Tyler admitted, his jaw clenched in anger as he looked at her.

Jolene was silent.

"I don't get it… what has he done for you?" Tyler asked her.

"It's complicated." Jolene avoided his eyes.

"Because last time I checked I'm the one who's here with you, not him. I've done everything I can think of to try and help you, and protect you and it's just not enough is it?" He asked.

"Of course it's enough Tyler… I'm still here with you aren't I?" She asked.

"Yeah… but is that just because you need a place to stay?" He asked.

Her jaw dropped.

"Is there a problem?" Tyler's dad asked as he walked in to the kitchen with the two teens.

"No. I'm going to bed." Tyler said, as he stormed out of the kitchen.

Mayor Lockwood looked at Jolene as she swatted a few tears from her pale cheeks.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

"I'm fine." Jolene said, nodding as she gathered her school books and walked past him on her way to the stairs.

Jolene looked up from her pillows as the sunlight seeped in between the rows on the blinds, as her iPod played loudly from her dock with the alarm.

Sitting up on the side of the bed she reached over to silence it, but stopped when she realized what song was playing.

"How fitting?" She breathed out as she left Carolina Liar's song Beautiful World blare from the speakers.

"_Here it comes in the morning; I'm just trying to forget. Keep it real, keep it simple. Somehow just get out of bed, and this city is endless, I'm as cold as a stone. Yea this city is endless and I'm… I'm walking alone. Sunlight creeps in between the curtains. Lose the sheets there's no time for sleep. I lie, and pretend till I'm almost certain it's a beautiful world." _She sang the lyrics out loud as she pulled a pair of faded jeans from her closet and found a purple shirt to go with them.

"Jo?" Tyler asked as he pushed open the door to her room.

She looked at him but didn't say anything as she sat down on the side of her bed and tied the laces on her converse shoes.

Walking past her he turned the music volume down.

"You ready?" He asked.

"I can call Bonnie or Caroline for a ride." Jolene said, as she unplugged her cellphone from the charger.

"Why?" Tyler asked her.

"Just don't want you thinking that I'm only dating you for a ride to school." Jolene snapped, as she slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out of her room and down the stairs.

"I'm sorry for what I said last night." Tyler said as he followed her out the front door.

"Don't' worry about it. You were right; I can't be trusted because every time someone trusts me I break it." Jolene said, as she opened the passenger door and got in the car.

"Don't be like that." Tyler said, as he started the car.

"Be like what?" Jolene asked, her voice monotone as she spoke.

"Sad…" Tyler said.

"I am sad." Jolene admitted.

"I am so sorry for last night, I had no right to say those things to you. I feel terrible." He said.

The rest of the car ride was silent until they reached the school.

"There's Bonnie… I gotta go, I promised I'd let her copy all my notes she missed in math." Jolene said as she started to where Bonnie and Caroline were sitting outside of the school.

"Are you really just not going to talk to me?" Tyler asked, lightly grabbing her arm.

"I don't know what to say to you. I can't put your fears to rest and I can't promise you that I'm never going to screw up again. I'm human and I make mistakes… a lot more than your average person. If you expected to have a girlfriend with no issues and one who you don't have to worry about relapsing every day than you barked up the wrong tree." Jolene said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I didn't say that's what I wanted." Tyler said.

"Of course it is; that's what everyone wants, to have to not worry about other people constantly. And you deserve that Tyler, you're such a great guy and somehow you got stuck with me. I always mess everything up, it doesn't matter who it's with or what it concerns. I just screw it all up." Jolene said, closing her eyes to hold the tears back.

"You do not. I don't want some perfect, drama free girlfriend. I want you." Tyler said taking a step towards her.

"Hey guys." Matt said walking up to them.

"Oh sorry… I didn't mean to interrupt anything…" Matt said, looking at Jolene who roughly rubbed the tears from her make up free cheeks.

"It's fine, I was heading to class." Jolene said, turning and walking quickly away before anyone could stop her.

**(((The Next Day)))**

Jolene looked in the mirror in her room as she applied a light coat of shimmery blush to her cheeks.

She looked down at her light green dress back to the box she kept her jewelry in; she held up a pretty black diamond bracelet that her grandmother had given her when she turned 16. Then her eyes fluttered to the simple, but beautiful charm bracelet containing vervain that Damon had given her.

Deciding on the black diamond bracelet she then decided to keep wearing the vervain necklace her dad had given her just in case.

"I was a little surprised you weren't in the running for Miss Mystic Falls." Damon said.

Jolene spun around to see Damon standing in her bedroom doorway.

"What are you doing up here?" Jolene asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"I was looking for the bathroom… must have taken a wrong turn." Damon said with a smirk.

"Right." Jolene said shaking her head.

"I was in the running… I dropped out." Jolene said referring to his earlier question.

"Recovering drug addict, witch and vampire hunter doesn't exactly compare to all Caroline's community service." Jolene went onto explain.

Damon looked past her to the open jewelry box and saw the charm bracelet he had given her, "I told you how important it is to wear that." He said a twinge of anger in his voice.

"It didn't go with my dress." Jolene retorted.

"Jolene! Jolene!" Mrs. Lockwood said as she quickly walked into the room and stopped when she saw Damon.

"Jolene… Caroline is about to have a fit over her make up. She says she needs your mascara and pale pink lipstick." Carol said as she looked over at Damon.

"And Tyler is downstairs looking for you." She finished.

"Okay… I'm headed to Caroline now." Jolene said as she grabbed a make-up bag off the top of her dresser and pushed past Damon out of the room.

Walking into the room Caroline was using to get ready Jolene handed her the make-up bag.

"Perfect." She said looking at the mascara.

"No, no, no. This is the wrong pink!" Caroline said looking at the lipstick.

"I'm sorry Care… It's the only lipstick I own." Jolene said.

"I remember where my bag is now! I left it in the downstairs bathroom… can you please go get it? I have to get my dress on? Why couldn't Matt get out of work?" Caroline said, shaking her head.

"It's going to be fine Care… you deserve this more than anyone else. You're going to win! But you need to calm down… I'm going to go find your make-up bag, okay?" Jolene asked.

"Okay." Caroline said with a nod and a smile.

Rushing down the stairs and into the party on the first floor, Jolene opened the bathroom door.

"Stefan… I'm sorry I didn't think anyone was in here." Jolene said, before looking at the busted mirror.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Come on." He said as he took a tight grip of her arm and led her through the house out a side door and over to where everyone had parked.

"Stefan what's going on?" Jolene asked, worried.

Letting go her of her arm he said.

"I'm sorry… I've been drinking the human stuff and it's really screwing with my head." He admitted as he paced back and forth in front of her.

"Look, we can try and wean you off of it and slowly back on animal blood… just like any other addiction it's going to take time. You can't be fixed overnight." Jolene said.

"I've done things to hurt you… and you're always so nice to me. Why? Why Jolene?" Stefan asked stopping in front of her.

"Because you're my friend…" She said, for the first time starting to feel scared.

"Elena knows, she knows I'm drinking human blood again." He said.

"She just wants to help you… She loves you." Jolene said, looking around for anyone to help her. But the parking area was empty.

"She wasn't supposed to find out… now everything's ruined!" Stefan said.

"No it isn't." Jolene said her voice firm.

In an instant he had her pinned to the car, "It's ruined Jolene… I'm so hungry." He breathed out as his mouth moved closer to her neck.

"Stefan, please stop." Jolene begged, her voice had a slight wine to it.

Stepping back he shook his head.

"I don't hurt people. I don't do that, I'm the good brother." He said.

"Stefan we need to get back to the party… you're supposed to be Elena's escort." Jolene pointed out.

"I want to kill you…" Stefan said.

Jolene's eyes widened.

"No you don't Stefan." She said, hoping she could reason with him.

"I want to rip into your skin… and I want to feed on your blood. Under your skin, pulsating, flowing your carotid artery right there." He said as he brushed her auburn hair off the side of her neck and rubbed his fingers over the artery.

"That's just the hunger talking… you don't mean that. You're house isn't too far away from here… Damon has blood bags in the basement…" Jolene said as her heart pounded faster in her chest.

Ignoring her and keeping his hands on her neck he said, "If you puncture this just right you can control the blood flow… it takes practice but it doesn't have to make a mess. You don't have to waste any."

Grabbing his hands and holding them in hers for a second she looked at him,

"I am going back to the party, and I'm going to get Damon so he can help you." She said as she let go of his hands and started back towards the house.

She had only gotten a few steps away when Stefan wrapped one arm around her waist holding her still and forcefully grabbed a fist full of her hair and held her head to the side exposing her neck.

"One taste… that's all I want is just one taste." He said as his teeth burned and he brought his mouth close to her neck.

Jolene didn't have the chance to say anything before his teeth dug into the tender skin on her neck. She pinned her eyes shut to keep in the tears as he began to drink from her.

She wanted to scream out for help, but she knew no one could hear her.

Pulling his mouth from her skin, she immediately put pressure on the fresh wound but felt blood seep between her fingers.

She tried to calm her heart beat, knowing it's hastened pace was only making her wound gush more blood.

Frozen in fear she stood in silence as Stefan paced back and forth in front of her.

The sun had gone down and they were now standing in the dark.

She wondered if she could use any magic on him without killing him, but she still wasn't able to control it very well and even though he had bit her she didn't want to kill him.

Jolene wanted to take off running but her legs felt unsteady and she was afraid he'd chase her and feed again.  
As if he had read her mind Stefan grabbed the sides of her pale face and said "You need to run… run like hell. Do you understand me, run now!"

Turning, Jolene tore off through the trees as she tried to get back up to the house. The faster she ran the more blood she could feel pouring from her neck down her chest.

Glancing back over her shoulder to see if he was following her she ran right into him as he appeared in front of her.

"What are you doing?" She asked, tears now pouring down her cheeks.

"I changed my mind…" He said his eyes focusing on the steady stream of crimson running over her porcelain skin.

"No." She said, as she closed her eyes and tried to use her magic on him.

He groaned in pain and buckled over as she focused all her attention on him.

It wasn't long before her concentration was broke as she had been weakened from blood loss.

In an instant he had a tight hold on her again and he continued his feeding, Jolene tried helplessly to push him off of her, but he was far too strong.

"Stefan!" Elena yelled her eyes wide in fear as she found them in the woods.

"Stefan! Come on get control." Damon said, as he watched Jolene's body fall to the ground.

"It's okay… come on, work through it man." Damon said to his brother as he slowly walked up to him.

Grabbing his brother, Stefan threw him a good distance across the woods.

Turning his attention back to Jolene, Stefan started to crouch down and grab her when Bonnie used her abilities and sent an intense burning pain through his head.

Grabbing his head in pain, his blood lust was broken and he looked around in horror at what he had done.

"Jolene!" Damon said dropping to the ground beside her as Stefan ran off through the woods.

"You… you've lost a lot of blood." Damon said, as he looked at the bite mark still seeping blood.

"I'm fine." She said, her words slurred a little as she felt weaker than ever before.

"Here." He said as he bit into his own wrist.

"No." Jolene said shaking her head, and pushing his arm away.

"You lost a lot of blood, now drink." He instructed as he saw her starting to black out.

"I don't want to." She said, but while her mouth was open he held her head still and forced her mouth down on his bleeding wrist.

"Call Sherriff Forbes." Damon instructed Elena.

Jolene whimpered and tried to push his arm away as his blood filled her mouth.

Finally when he was sure she had gotten enough to start healing, he released his grip on her.

"Damn it." Jolene said, as she wiped her mouth and tried to spit out the blood still on her tongue.

Stepping forward Bonnie angrily said, "She didn't want your blood."

"She was dying… she needed it." Damon argued back.

"I didn't want it." Jolene said, shaking her head.

"Oh my god… call the paramedics!" Sherriff Forbes instructed another officer as she neared them and saw Jolene soaked in blood.

"What do you remember?" The sheriff asked as she knelt down beside Jolene.

Jolene looked around before saying, "The last thing I remember is stopping by the bathroom to get Caroline's makeup bag… and then I woke up here… all bloody. I think I got attacked or something… I don't know."

"Who found her?" Sherriff Forbes asked.

"We went looking for her, and once we found her we called Damon." Elena said, picking up where Jolene had left her cover story.

"And you didn't see anything?" Sheriff Forbes asked the girls.

"No." Both Bonnie and Elena agreed.

Damon took the jacket to his suit off and wrapped it around Jolene as she shivered in the night air.

**((((()))))**

**A/N - Thank you all for reading! I hope you all don't mind that this chapter is so long, there just wasn't really a good place to cut it off to start on the next one.**

**On my page there is a new Damon/OC and Tyler/OC/Jeremy love triangle fan fiction about 2 sisters titled 'Fire and Ice'. It's a collaboration with the lovely Miss E Charlotte ^_^ I hope you'll take the time to check it out.**

**We've been making banners to go along with this story, you can find them and more at SageLondyn . polyvore . com and at MissECharlotte . polyvore . com I also have several Jolene banners and sets up on my polyvore.**

**It would really make my day if you could take the time to leave a review and let me know that you are still reading and liking this story. I really love writing Jolene's character, and I appreciate all of your feedback so much! Please make my day and don't be a silent reader. ^_^**


	25. I Owed Them

_**Chapter 25 –I Owed Them**_**-**

**((()))(())((()))**

"So he's refusing to eat?" Jolene asked as she talked to Elena on her cellphone.

"I'm really worried about him Jo… he feels terrible for hurting you. How are you doing?" Elena asked.

Jolene felt the side of her neck where she had been bitten only a few days before.

"I'm doing okay… all healed up thanks to Damon." Jolene muttered.

"He was just trying to help you." Elena said into the phone.

"He's standing right there… isn't he?" Jolene asked.

"He's getting ready to leave with Mr. Saltzman for something." Elena confided.

A few moments later, Jolene headed down the stairs stopping in the kitchen when she saw Tyler's dad.

"Are you going anywhere tonight?" Jolene asked him.

He looked up from the paper he was reading.

"I don't think so." He answered.

"Is it okay if I borrow your car… I really need to go check on a friend." She asked.

"Yeah." He said nodding as he tossed her his keys.

**((()))**

"Is Damon gone?" Jolene asked as Elena opened the door to the Salvatore house.

"Yeah…" Elena said, surprised to see Jolene there.

"Where's Stefan?" Jolene asked.

"In the basement…" Elena admitted.

"I'm going to talk to him." Jolene said.

"That's really sweet, Jo. But you don't have to do this… I can't imagine how scared you must have been… he almost killed you." Elena sympathized.

Jolene nodded and started down the stairs.

"Wait… Jo. Will you see if you can get him to put this back on?" Elena asked as she held up Stefan's ring.

"I'll try." Jolene agreed as she slid the clunky ring in her jean pocket and headed down the stairs to the basement.

"Elena, go away." Stefan said, not looking up as he heard footsteps approaching.

"Hey, Stefan." Jolene said as she looked through the bars on the door in at him.

"You should go away… I'm dangerous." He warned her.

"Yeah… well, I'm back to 100% so I'm not exactly helpless." Jolene admitted as she unlocked the door.

"What are you doing?" He asked, scrambling to his feet.

"I want you to drink this… Elena say's it's animal not human." Jolene said as she picked the water bottle filled with blood up from the floor and held it out for him.

"Get out of here." Stefan yelled.

"You can yell all you want, but I'm not going anywhere." Jolene said.

Shaking his head he sat down on the side of the cot he had been sleeping on.

Sitting down beside him she held onto the water bottle.

"I am so sorry for hurting you… I never wanted to do that." Stefan said his words honest.

"There was this one time sophomore year; I had went to stay with my grandma for a weekend because she had just had surgery on her back. She was bed ridden for the time being and in a lot of pain from the surgery. You know what I did? I gathered up bits of pain medication in that house and called Vicki to come and get me. I even unplugged the house phone so she couldn't call for anyone." Jolene said her chin quivered as she spoke.

"I knew it was wrong, and I didn't want to do it. But the need to get high was so strong that I couldn't control it…" She continued.

"I avoided her for the rest of the year, I mean I literally snuck out of windows and took off if I heard her downstairs in my house; until my 16th birthday, when she showed up and gave me this." Jolene said, as she held out her wrist revealing the black diamond bracelet that her grandmother had given to her.

"She told me that she forgave me for what I had done to her… that it was the addiction needing fed and that even though I had done a terrible thing and hurt her so badly she forgave me." Jolene went on with her story.

"I forgive you, Stefan." Jolene said, looking at him

"It's nowhere near the same! I didn't steal from you, I tried to kill you!" Stefan pointed out.

"I remember." Jolene said, nodding.

"Then how can you just say it's okay?" He asked her.

"It's not okay… the bad things that I've done in the past aren't okay either. But we have to keep going on. You can't hide in this cellar and starve yourself…" Jolene said.

"I don't deserve to live." Stefan said.

"I don't believe that… if I did, I wouldn't be here right now. And I sure as hell wouldn't have unlocked that door and walked in here." Jolene pointed out.

"It was a stupid move." Stefan said.

"Probably." Jolene said, with a small weak laugh.

"I don't know how to go on from here…" Stefan admitted.

"First step… admit you have a problem; which you did." Jolene said, with a half-smile.

Stefan raised an eyebrow at her.

"Second step…examine past errors and ask for and accept forgiveness from those you've wronged. Check." Jolene said pointing to herself.

"Third step, learn to live life with a new code of behavior... or I guess in this case getting back to a former code of conduct." Jolene said, as she looked down to the bottle of blood in her hand.

"Fourth step… understand that you have people who love and care about. Elena is so worried about you; right now… you need to drink this Stefan." Jolene said, as she handed him the bottle.

He took it from her and looked at it.

"If I drink it… will you stop trying to put me on a 12-step program?" Stefan asked, smiling.

Jolene nodded as he took the lid of the bottle and drank some from it.

"Thank you." He said, looking at her with honest eyes.

She nodded, smiling.

Standing up she said, "Okay… so I totally B.S'd my way through the 4 steps… but the 12th one I do have memorized."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure Tyler's parents keep leaving pamphlets around the house on how to overcome addiction." Jolene said, with a slight eye roll.

"Step 12… have a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps." Jolene said, as she pulled his ring from her pocket and handed it to him.

Looking at the ring he slid it on his finger before drinking down the rest of the bottle and following her upstairs from the basement,

"Stefan?" Elena asked as she stood from the couch and hugged him.

"You look better! Did you feed?" Elena asked him.

Stefan nodded.

Looking over at Jolene, Elena mouthed "Thank you."

Jolene nodded and walked out the door.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked as Alaric dropped him off and drove away.

"I was just leaving…" Jolene said, keeping her head low as she walked past him towards Mayor Lockwood's car that she had borrowed to get there.

"Oh, you don't have to leave on my account…" Damon said, following her.

"Yes, actually I do." Jolene said as she reached the car.

"So let me get this straight… my bother bites and almost kills you, and you come here to talk him off a ledge? While ignoring me when I'm the one who saved your life…? Doesn't make a lot of sense." Damon pointed out.

"Stefan was influenced by an insatiable need of bloodlust!" Jolene said, keeping her back turned to Damon.

"And I saved you." Damon pointed out.

Jolene spun around and faced him.

"I spent the whole next day terrified that I was going to be killed in some freak accident and turn into a vampire!" Jolene snapped.

"But you didn't. You needed my blood to heal." Damon pointed out.

"I needed to be taken to a hospital, not fed vampire blood." Jolene argued.

"So what was I supposed to do? Sit there and hope they got you medical attention quick enough?" He asked.

"Yes." Jolene said.

"No." Damon argued back.

"That's how it's supposed to be!" Jolene exclaimed.

"If it comes down to it, and it's life or death… I will always save you, Jolene." He admitted.

Her eyes widened.

"Even if I don't want it?" She asked.

He was silent.

"That's unacceptable, Damon." Jolene told him.

"That's the way it is." Damon said, outraged at her attitude.

"Isn't this part of the feud between you and Stefan for all these years? You told me he pretty much forced you to feed; you didn't want to be a vampire! Honestly, if you could go back would you change it?" Jolene yelled.

"No." He said, taking a step closer to her.

"Why not?" Jolene asked.

"Because, if I had died in 1864, I never would have met you." He admitted.

"Don't say that." Jolene pleaded.

"It's true." He said, taking another step closer.

"I can't do this, Damon." She said, backing up only to land against the cold metal of the car.

Both of them were so wrapped up in each other's eyes that they didn't hear the car pull in the driveway.

"I love you, Jolene." Damon said, as he leaned in and kissed her.

Instantly she pushed him back, with tears now pouring down her face.

Without hesitation he kissed her more passionately, using his body to pin hers against the car.

She put her hands on his chest and tried to push him back, but he wouldn't budge.

Just when her hands had started to fall from his chest as she pushed her body against his, a car horn blasted through the silence of the moment.

In an instant Tyler had knocked Damon to the ground, Jolene watched as Tyler's fist collided with Damon's face again and again.

"Stop, it!" Jolene yelled as Damon threw Tyler off of him and hit him.

Concentrating, Jolene used her mind to stop Damon.

Grabbing his head he fell to the ground and Tyler took the opportunity to kick him.

"Stop it!" Jolene yelled as she ran forward and grabbed onto Tyler's arm.

In a blind rage, he threw her backwards and her body landed violently against the car, with her head hitting the back bumper.

Elena and Stefan were now running from the house over to the scene.

The vein in Tyler's fore head was protruding as adrenaline raced through his veins; he wasn't in control of his anger."

"Jolene!" Elena yelled as she ran to her friend's side.

"I'm okay." Jolene said, still sitting on the ground by the car.

With Jolene's concentration broken, Damon was back on his feet, his eyes full of hate as he looked at Tyler.

Reading the look in his brother's eyes, Stefan put a hand on the center of Tyler's chest and in a clam voice said, "Tyler, you need to go."

"I'm not the problem! He is!" Tyler yelled as he tried to lunge forward again but Stefan held him back.

"You really shouldn't have done that." Damon said his voice almost in a growl as he wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth from his busted lip that hadn't had time to heal yet.

"Damon, stops it. Tyler, please go." Stefan urged Tyler.

"I heard her! She told you not to kiss her…" Tyler growled, feeling a new surge of anger course through his veins.

"Yeah, well at least I didn't throw her across the driveway." Damon said, as he pointed over to where Jolene and Elena were by the car.

Seeing through his rage for the first time, Tyler said, "Oh my god… Jo."

"Are you oaky? I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to…" He stumbled over his words.

"Just go." Jolene said, not making eye contact with him.

"You're bleeding… let me see." Tyler said as he started to lean down.

Elena stood up and said, "Get out of here, Tyler. She doesn't want to talk to you."

"Jo…" Tyler started to say, but Jolene shook her head.

Taking one last look at her, he got back in his car and sped off.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked as he walked over and helped her to her feet.

"Get off me!" Jolene yelled, pushing him backwards.

"I'm just trying to help…" He said.

"Right… and that kiss! It's all your fault!" Jolene yelled as she bent down and picked up the keys from the ground.

"Are you mad because I kissed you, or are you mad because you liked it?" Damon asked, taking a step towards her.

Jolene unlocked the car and got into the driver's seat.

"Can you follow me back to the house? I have to get the Mayor's car back to him." Jolene asked Elena.

"Sure." Elena said, as she headed towards her own car.

**((((()))))**

**A/N **_**– Thank you all for reading! I hope you liked the chapter, I'm almost done with season 1 in this story. ^_^**_

**Don't forget to check out my Polyvore sets for this and other fanfictions at; SageLondyn . Polyvore . com**

_**Also, the second chapter to The Vampire Diaries colab I'm writing with the wonderful Miss E Charlotte, is now up on my page, it's titled 'Fire and Ice'. You should check it out. ^_-**_

_**I know it's been Tyler/Jolene lately, but I have been keeping Damon in the story quite a bit… Not to spoil or give too much away, but Jolene and Tyler probably won't last into season 2...**_

**I **_**hope you all had a wonderful Halloween and that all of you are staying safe and haven't been affected by Sandy or any of the storms. Indiana just had some small storms and strong wind so all is good here. Stay safe my lovely readers!**_

**Please take a few moments to leave me a review! I appreciate it so much! ^_^**


	26. No Redeeming Qualities

_**Chapter 26 –No Redeeming Qualities**_**-**

**((()))(())((()))**

"Found it!" Caroline exclaimed as she walked into her bedroom with a bottle of wine and 2 long stem wine glasses.

"Thanks." Jolene said as Caroline handed her a glass.

"So… you had 2 guys literally fighting for you?" Caroline asked an eyebrow raised.

"It wasn't like that. They weren't fighting for me… they were just fighting each other." Jolene explained.

"And you got hurt in the process?" Caroline questioned, looking at the bandage on the side of Jolene's forehead.

"It was an accident." Jolene defended Tyler.

"Thanks for letting me stay the night, by the way…" Jolene said

"You had to know it was going to come to this…" Caroline said, taking a drink from her glass.

"What are you talking about?" Jolene questioned.

"You've put yourself in the middle of two controlling, overly possessive guys. What did you think was going to happen?" Caroline asked.

"I thought that I could have them both." Jolene admitted.

"Kinky." Caroline said with a raised eyebrow.

"Not like that! I mean that I'm so close to Damon… he's practically my best friend. And then there's Tyler who is so good to me, and he's what I need." Jolene said.

"Except for when he's bashing your head off cars." Caroline said.

Ignoring her remark Jolene said, "Damon agreed to just be friends, and Tyler wasn't happy about it but he was dealing with it… and then Damon kisses me and it happens to be the same day that Tyler decided to track me down! My life sucks."

"I'm not exactly team Damon, but it's obvious that you both are still madly in love. So why don't you just let Tyler down easy?" Caroline asked.

"It's not that simple, Care." Jolene said.

"Oh my god… you… you can't do that because you love them both!" Caroline said as she put it all together.

Groaning Jolene sat the empty glass down on Caroline's bedside table and buried her face in the pillow.

"It shouldn't be possible!" Jolene said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"You're right. You've got 2 guys head over heels for you and I'm barely able to hold onto Matt. Life is just not fair." Caroline said.

"Hey!" Jolene yelled, raising up and looking at her.

"I'm kidding...kinda." Caroline said.

"But in all honesty… these situations normally end up with the girl losing both guys. Maybe you really need to figure out who you're willing to lose." Caroline said.

"I don't want to lose either one of them." Jolene admitted.

"Tell me how you feel about each of them." Caroline urged.

"Well, Tyler is good for me. He's been so understanding and even though he loses it with his anger sometimes, he keeps me on track. He's stable and that's what I need is stability. I've always had feelings for him… they are just so intensified now." Jolene admitted.

"Uh-huh. And what about Damon?" Caroline asked.

"Damon is…unpredictable and exciting. Every moment with him is an adventure, and the way I feel for him is so consuming. It's like… I can't even explain it, Care." Jolene admitted, her lips curved up into a smile.

Caroline's lips pressed together in a hard line as she looked at her friend.

"Why are you giving me that look?" Jolene asked.

"Because you smiled for the first time since Elena dropped you off here." Caroline told her.

"And that's a bad thing?" Jolene asked.

"You only started to smile when you were thinking about Damon." Caroline explained.

"Not true." Jolene argued.

"Do you want to know what I think?" Caroline asked, as she poured more wine into her own glass.

"Not really, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway." Jolene said, as she took the bottle from Caroline and took a long drink.

"I have no doubts that you love Tyler… but I think you really need to ask yourself if you love him, or if you're in love with him. I have this feeling that you might love him the way that friends love and care about each other. But Jo, when you talked about Damon… your eyes lit up and you smiled. Actions speak louder than words…" Caroline told her.

Jolene was silent as she gave some thoughts to her friends words.

"You know I'm no fan of Damon. But maybe he's your one. You know? Like, your one all consuming, epic love." Caroline offered her idea.

"My one?" Jolene thought it out loud.

"I mean, wouldn't it make you happy to grow old with Damon? Have a few kids and get old and grey? He could be like, your epic lifetime love that continues even after you're both dead." Caroline said, her idea romanticized as she considered her own future.

"It won't happen." Jolene argued.

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked her.

"I can't have kids or grow old with Damon. To stay with Damon, I'll have to be like him. And I can't do that…" Jolene's voice trailed off.

"Wait. Be like Damon? What does that even mean?" Caroline asked, confused.

"Nevermind… a little too much wine or something." Jolene said, as she realized she almost slipped up.

"Let's watch Gone with the Wind, and then we'll get some sleep because we have to be up early to work on the float tomorrow!" Caroline exclaimed as she grabbed the remote and turned her TV on.

"We've seen this movie over a hundred times." Jolene complained.

"Shush." Caroline said as she refilled both of their wine glasses.

"To us." Caroline said, as she held her glass out.

"To us." Jolene agreed, as she gently clanked her glass against Caroline's.

**((()))**

The next day Jolene walked into the school with Caroline.

"I'm off to find, Bonnie. Catch up with you a little later." Caroline said, as she walked off.

"Awesome." Jolene said under her breath as she looked around.

"Hey…" Tyler said as he walked up to her.

"Morning." Jolene said with a slight smile.

Looking at the Band-Aid on her forehead he said, "I never meant to hurt you. I am so sorry. I was in like blind rage or something, and I didn't even know what had happened. I just saw him kiss you and I lost all control."

"I know." Jolene said with a nod.

"I'm sorry about what you saw, Tyler…" Jolene said.

"I heard you tell him to stop. I know it's not like you're the one who kissed him." Tyler said.

Jolene nodded.

"But… Jolene I don't want you seeing him anymore. I didn't want to say it… and I know you feel like you're the one friend he's got but, I just can't take it anymore." Tyler admitted.

"Okay." Jolene said with a nod.

"Really?" Tyler asked, expecting a fight from her.

"Yeah. I thought I could just be friends with him, that he'd respect our relationship as friends. But he can't, and I can't be around that. It's not fair to you to have to see that, it's not fair for him… it's like as long as I still talk to him he seems to think we're getting back together, and I really suck for doing that to both of you." Jolene said, crossing her arms over her chest and looking down at Tyler's shoes.

"I love you." Tyler said.

Jolene looked up her eyes wide.

"Wow… I just kinda blurted that out. When I rehearsed it in the mirror… it was much smoother…" Tyler admitted running a hand over his hair in shock at himself.

"I love you too." Jolene said, not able to stop the smile spreading over her lips.

He smiled brilliantly at her.

"I just… didn't picture the first time I told you that to be in the high school gym." Jolene said, with a small laugh.

Leaning in he kissed her, she smiled and held onto his shoulders as his hands landed around her waist.

"I love you." He said, when they finally broke their kiss.

"I love you too." She said, smiling as she leaned in and pressed her lips against his again.

"Uh guys… you are at school." Mr. Saltzman said as he walked over to them.

"Sorry." Jolene said as she stepped back from Tyler.

Looking up at her history teacher Jolene grew concerned, "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I need you to come with me, Jolene." He said.

"What's going on?" Tyler asked as he started to follow them.

"Tyler, get started on recreating the battle of Willow Creek." Mr. Saltzman instructed as he led Jolene to the classroom where Elena and Stefan already were.

A few moments later Damon showed up and Alaric explained to them that Isobel wanted to meet Elena and Jolene.

"I guess meeting her daughter… okay. But what on earth could she want with me?" Jolene asked.

"I don't know." Alaric admitted.

After coming up with their plan Jolene said, "Well I better get back out there…"

"Please stop following me." Jolene said to Damon as he followed her out of the room.

"I just want to talk." Damon said, putting a hand on her shoulder and stopping her.

Turning around she said, "We don't have anything to talk about Damon."

"Are you still mad at me about that kiss?" He asked, a tiny smirk toyed at the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, and for good reason. You agreed to be friends, and I asked you to respect that I was with Tyler. I really thought we might be able to pull this off… being friends and all. But I was wrong, it was a mistake." Jolene said her green eyes sad as she looked at him.

"Are you breaking up with me… again?" Damon joked.

"Well, I'm glad my distress is amusing to you. Is all of this really a joke to you?" She asked.

He was silent when he saw how serious the look in her eyes was.

"I'm sorry Damon." She said as she turned and started to walk away, but he quickly got in front of her.

"Get out of my way." She said.

"I'm sorry for kissing you… even though you liked it and kissed me back." He said.

"Nice, really sincere apology… the crowd is in tears, standing ovation! Bravo, Damon." Jolene snapped, as she sarcastically clapped her hands.

He cocked his head to the side at her sudden outburst of anger.

"I don't want to do this, I care about you so much and I wanted to keep you in my life. But you've left me no other option, I can't have any sort of relationship with you." She said, laying it all on the line.

"I am sorry, Jolene." He said, trying to get her to reconsider.

"Me to, Damon." She said, as she walked past him and back towards the other students preparing for the Founders Day celebration.

**(((At the grill))**

Jolene sat and listened to Isobel talk to Elena for a little while before saying. "Why exactly am I a part of this meeting?"

"Oh I'm sorry, did you have somewhere more important to be?" Isobel asked with a smile.

"I might have." Jolene admitted.

Isobel's smile fell into a serious expression, "Like with the boyfriend of yours? Tyler Lockwood isn't it?"

"Leave him out of this." Jolene said through gritted teeth.

"Then don't push me… you're here because I need both of you to get Jonathon Gilbert's invention." Isobel admitted.

"I'm sorry but we don't have what you're looking for." Elena said as she started to stand up, when Isobel grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down into her seat.

"I want the invention." Isobel told them again.

"We don't have it." Jolene said.

"I know that… but Damon does." Isobel pointed out.

"He's not going to give it to me." Elena said.

"Maybe not, but you, Jolene… I think you could get just about anything from him." Isobel said with a smirk.

"Well, we're not exactly on speaking terms at the moment. I don't think he's going to give me the device." Jolene said, raising an eyebrow at Elena's birth mom.

"Either you both get the device for me, or the blood will be on your hands." Isobel said before standing up and getting her coat and purse.

**((()))**

Jolene was standing outside with everyone as they worked on the float when the back of the truck collapsed and trapped Matt's shoulder underneath it.

"Matt!" Jolene yelled, as Tyler pushed her back to try and lift the back of the float off of him.

Jolene looked over just in time to see Isobel before a man grabbed her.

"What do you want with us?" Jolene asked Isobel as she sat in a chair beside Jeremy.

"Simple, you're an incentive for Damon to give me the device." Isobel answered.

"What about Jer?" Jolene asked, looking over to Elena's younger brother.

"He's incentive for Elena, clearly." Isobel admitted.

Soon after there was a knock at the door and Isobel left to answer it.

"What the hell is going on?" Jeremy asked Jolene.

Jolene sighed; Elena had just told her that Jeremy knew about the vampires before the back of the truck fell on Matt.

"That's Elena's birth mom. She's a psycho, vampire bitch… don't push her." Jolene explained.

It wasn't long before Isobel returned with Jeremy's Uncle John.

After the conversation went bad, Isobel threw john to the floor.

Jolene watched in horror as Isobel's 2 minions began to beat and stomp on him.

Starting to use her powers on Isobel, Jolene concentrated.

Grabbing her head Isobel said, "uh-uh. None of that or I'll kill him." Referring to Jeremy.

Jolene stopped, and Isobel ordered the two to stop beating John.

Isobel left and her two servants stood guard of them all.

Jolene looked around and stood up.

"Hey! Where are you going?" The man asked her.

"I'm simply getting a glass of water." Jolene said as she walked past him and into the kitchen.

She returned with a glass of water and wet washrag, she handed them both to John.

"I've got some ibuprofen in my purse." Jolene said as she opened a pill bottle and shook some out into his hand.

"Thank you." He said as he took the pain pills.

"Welcome." Jolene said, giving him a hard stare.

"What the hell is going on. What is she after?" Jeremy asked his uncle.

Jolene listened to John explain what she already knew.

A little while later Isobel returned to the room with a phone in her hand.

"Here, call Damon and tell him to meet us in the town square with the device." Isobel said.

Jolene looked at the phone but didn't take it.

"It won't do any good; I seriously just told him this morning that I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him… you really think he's going to hand this device over?" Jolene asked.

"It's either that or I kill you…" Isobel said.

Jolene took the phone and dialed Damon's number.

"Hello?" He answered, not recognizing the number.

"Damon… it's Jolene." She said, looking up at Isobel.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine… Isobel wants to meet in the town square tonight. She wants you to bring the device." Jolene said.

"That device can hurt vampires." Damon told her.

Closing her eyes Jolene said, "I know… but if you don't give her the device she's going to kill me and Jeremy."

Damon was silent.

"Tell her to be there in an hour." Damon said, before hanging up the phone.

**(((An hour later)))**

After Isobel got the device and left, Jolene walked up to Damon.

"I kind of can't believe you just handed it over." Jolene said to him.

"You really thought I was just going to let you die?" He asked.

"I don't know, I mean I just told you this morning that I didn't want to be friends…" Jolene said.

"And then by nightfall I'm saving your life… again." Damon pointed out.

"Bonnie took the original spell off of the device… It's not going to have any effect on vampires." Damon explained.

"Good." Jolene said her expression showed her relief.

"Let me give you a ride home." Damon said.

"I don't think it's a good idea… I'm gonna call Tyler and he'll come pick me up." Jolene said as she took out her phone.

"Then I'll wait with you until he gets here." Damon argued.

"It's just not a good idea." Jolene said her voice firm as she spoke.

**((((()))))**

**A/N **_**– Almost done with season 1! ^_^ I hope you all liked the chapter**_**.**

**Please be kind and take a few moments to leave a review and let me know you're still reading and hopefully liking the story. I appreciate all of your kind words so much! They inspire me to keep writing and getting updates posted. ^_^**


	27. I Won't Blackout

_**Chapter 27 –I Won't Blackout**_**-**

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"I still really wish you wouldn't do this." Tyler said as they pulled to a stop in front of Jolene's dads house in the moving truck they had rented.

"I know you're worried, and I'm sorry…but I've made my decision; Caroline's already inside packing my room up." Jolene said.

They were packing up all the stuff from Jolene's dad's house that was hers; when she moved in with Tyler she only took some clothes and a few other things.

"Plus… I really don't know why you're complaining… considering how when you come and stay with me there will no parents." Jolene said, raising an eyebrow playfully.

"Now that I like the sound of." Tyler said, smiling as he leaned and kissed her.

"You know Caroline was the last person you should have asked for help, she'll be too afraid about breaking a nail." Tyler said as they walked in the front door.

"Be nice Tyler, she's my best friend." Jolene said glancing over her shoulder as they headed up the stairs.

"Plus, Elena and Stefan are on their way." She finished.

"Finally! I've been here for almost an hour!" Caroline exclaimed as Jolene and Tyler walked in the room.

"Your stepmom let me in before she left to run errands, she said your dad would have helped us but he got called into work last minute." Caroline explained why she was in the house by herself.

"If you've been here so long…what exactly have you done?" Tyler asked, looking around the room.

"Duh." Caroline said with an eye roll as she pointed to a few boxes of Jolene's clothes that had been neatly folded and color separated by box.

Once Elena and Stefan showed up, they got started on taking the bed frame apart and Jolene and Tyler started to pull the drawers out of her desk, and clear the top off.

Caroline was sitting on the side of Jolene's bed going through the drawers and packing up their contents.

"Oh my god, Look! It's cheerleader Jolene." Caroline said, holding up a picture of Jolene from early sophomore year in her cheerleading uniform.

"I'm keeping this." Caroline said as she laid it to the side.

"Why?" Jolene asked.

"I'm making a spirit squad scrapbook." Caroline answered as she took another picture of Jolene and laid it with her pile of pictures to keep.

A few minutes later, Caroline looked up to see Damon walk in the room, grab a bed side table and walk back out with it.

"Oh my god!" Caroline exclaimed as soon as he was out of the room.

"What?" Jolene asked, looking to her friend.

"Who the hell invited, Damon?" Caroline asked.

Tyler shot Jolene a look.

"I haven't even talked to him in days." She responded to his angry look.

"Stefan asked if I could stop by and help." Damon lied as he walked back into the room.

"Unbelievable." Tyler breathed out angrily as he shot Stefan a look across the room.

"I don't really recall the conversation going like that, Damon." Stefan said as he grabbed the heavy wood headboard from the bed and started out of the room.

Elena shook her head, and grabbed a couple of the already packed boxes and followed him.

"You and Caroline get the desk, I'll grab the dresser." Tyler instructed Jolene.

"Uh… that dresser is really heavy. It' was my grandmothers; it took my dad and 2 of my uncles to get it in here." Jolene said.

"So I'll take the drawers out first." Tyler said.

"That's not going to help. It's not like the pressed wood dressers now days, it's an antique and it weighs a ton." Jolene argued.

"I said I can get it Jo." Tyler snapped, as he started to pull the drawers out.

"Fine." Jolene said, as she turned and grabbed one side of the desk while Caroline picked up the other.

As the girls carried the desk up the loading ramp, Stefan helped them and then got it situated against the side of the truck.

"Why did you even tell Damon what we were doing today?" Jolene asked, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at Stefan.

"I didn't." Stefan admitted.

"Then how did he know?" Jolene asked.

Stefan shrugged.

"You're sure he wasn't in the house when we were on the phone or something? Maybe he overheard…" Jolene reasoned.

"It's possible, I guess. I'm sorry." Stefan apologized.

The group headed back inside as Damon descended the stairs with the other bedside table.

"Tyler, let me help you." Jolene said as she walked over to the dresser.

He was struggling to try and lift it.

"I've got it!" Tyler growled the veins in his neck showed as he strained himself.

"You're going to hurt yourself." Jolene said as she grabbed the other side and tried to help him lift it.

"I don't need your help, damn it." Tyler said through gritted teeth.

"She's right Tyler, you're going to hurt yourself… looks like you're just not strong enough." Damon said, as he leaned against the door frame to her room.

"Shut up! No one even wants you here." Tyler said, turning and looking towards him.

"Will you at least let Stefan help you then?" Jolene asked, looking to Tyler.

"You think Stefan can lift it and I can't?" Tyler accused as he looked at Jolene.

"I said help you, not do it for you." Jolene argued.

"You should listen to her." Damon teased.

"Can you shut the hell up, you're not helping!" Jolene yelled looked back at Damon, who smirked satisfied to have gotten under their skin.

Damon held his hands up in surrender and moved out of the way as Elena and Caroline carried some lamps out to the truck.

Tyler tried again, unsuccessfully to get the dresser to budge.

"This is stupid it's not going to move." Tyler yelled as he kicked the side of it.

"Hey! I said it's an antique!" Jolene yelled as she looked and was relieved to see it didn't hurt the wood.

Ignoring her Tyler grabbed the disassembled wood from her bed frame and stormed down the stairs, Stefan followed him with the mattress to her bed and Caroline followed suit with a few more boxes.

"Happy now?" Jolene snapped looking at Damon.

"Not quite." Damon retorted.

As Tyler came back in the room, Damon headed over to the dresser.

"It won't budge." Tyler said cockily to Damon.

"Jolene, you gonna grab the other side?" Damon asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Jolene asked, knowing he could do it by himself.

"Fine, whatever." Jolene said as she grabbed the other side.

Damon effortlessly lifted the heavy dresser and Jolene pretended to help.

As they moved past Tyler, they looked at the shocked and mad expression on Tyler's face.

"Did you see his face?" Damon questioned, as they started to move down the stairs.

"Now I'm happy." Damon referred to their earlier conversation.

"After we get this stuff loaded you need to go home." Jolene instructed as they loaded the dresser into the moving truck.

"And miss all the fun?" Damon questioned.

"Well, it's going to seem a little weird to everyone when you can't get in my house." Jolene said, raising an eyebrow.

"You're not going to invite me in?" Damon asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No, because I don't want you just showing up in my house out of the blue." Jolene admitted.

"Afraid it might upset Tyler?" Damon asked.

"Yes I am!" Jolene said.

Damon smirked.

"See, this right here is exactly why we can't be friends. One minute your doing everything you can to sabotage my relationship, then you apologize and then I'll be damned if you don't turn right back around and make everything uncomfortable again." Jolene said, shaking her head back and forth.

"I promise to be on my best behavior." Damon said, still slightly smirking.

"That doesn't count for much." Jolene said, as she walked past him.

"Hey…" Damon said his voice softer as he grabbed her arm.

"We have nothing to talk about." Jolene said pulling her phone out of her pocket she looked at the time.

"I've got to get this done by 5 so Tyler can take me to the car dealership; I got the settlement from my mom's life insurance." Jolene explained as she headed back inside.

**(((A few days later)))**

"Kicked your ass again!" Jolene said as she smiled at Tyler from across the pool table.

"I'm letting you win." Tyler said, laughing.

"Liar!" Jolene said.

Looking at the clock she said, "It's getting dark, it will be time for fireworks soon!"

"You sure you don't wanna just go to your house instead?" Tyler said his voice low as he kissed her.

"But we'd miss the fire works!" She exclaimed.

"We could make our own fireworks." Tyler said, raising an eyebrow playfully at her

"And miss our town's 150th anniversary? I don't think so… the Proctors helped build this town." Jolene said, laughing as she leaned in and kissed him again.

Her phone rang from her pocket and she looked at it, it was Damon.

"It's Elena, I promised I'd meet up with her before the fireworks. See you soon." Jolene said, as she headed out of the grill.

Just as she got out the door, her phone rang again.

"What?" She asked.

"Where are you?" Damon asked.

"Outside of the grill headed to town square." Jolene admitted.

"No. you need to turn around and go home Jolene. The square is crawling with tomb vampires who want to shed some founding family blood. You're a Proctor that makes you a target." Damon explained.

"Oh my god." Jolene said, as she grabbed the keys to her new orange Ford Edge from her jacket pocket.

"What are you going to do?" Jolene asked him.

Before he could answer her phone beeped.

"Hold on a minute, Tyler's calling my other line." She said.

"Tyler?" Jolene asked answering his call.

"Jolene, where are you? My dad's acting really strange he gave me the keys to his car and told me go straight home, I'm dropping Matt and Caroline off along the way." He told her.

"Good." She was thankful he was leaving the danger.

"What's going on?" He asked her?

"I don't know..." Jolene lied.

"Do you want a ride?" He asked her.

"No, I'm here with Elena. Just go ahead and get Matt and Caroline." She lied.

"Okay, be careful." Tyler said.

"Wait Ty." She said before he hung up.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"I love you." She said her voice soft into the phone.

"I love you too." He said back before they ended their call.

Switching back to Damon's call she said.

"I'm gonna head home, where are you?" She asked.

"I'm going to see Elena's uncle." He told her.

"John?" Jolene asked.

He said something but the fireworks started, and she couldn't hear.

"Damon? I can't hear you!" She yelled into the phone plugging her other ear with her finger.

"You need to leave." She heard him say.

Seconds later she heard him yelling in pain.

"Damon?" She yelled into the phone, but all she could hear was his pained noises.

Looking around she saw a man a few feet over fall to ground holding his head and yelling in pain. Then a few police officers gave him a shot of something and dragged him off.

"Jo!" Bonnie yelled as she saw her friend.

"What's happening?" Jolene asked as her call was disconnected from Damon.

"I lied… I said I removed the spell from the Gilbert device. But I couldn't do it… I lied." Bonnie told her.

"How could you?" Jolene asked taking a few steps back.

Bonnie's eyes were sad as she took a few steps forward towards her friend.

"Jolene… I'm sorry. I…" Bonnie started to apologize.

"I have to find Damon." Jolene said, as she ran in the opposite direction.

A while later she found John Gilbert standing guard outside of a building.

"Where is Damon?" She asked him.

John glanced over his shoulder.

"I'm doing what should have been done 145 years ago, Jolene." John explained.

Jolene looked at the building as the smell of smoke filled the air.

She started to run past him, but he grabbed her arm.

"If you go in there you'll never make it back out." John told her.

"Then my blood is on your hands, asshole." Jolene snapped as she ripped her arm away from him and started around the side of the building looking for the utility entrance.

Opening the door, she coughed as smoke hit her in the face. Moving down a hallway she took her jacket off and used it as a shield between her hand and the burning hot door knob.

Her eyes widened as she looked at the fire raging as the wood beams caught fire and fell from the ceiling.

Focusing her eyes and energy towards the blinding light and heat from the fire she was able to dull the flames enough to get down the stairs.

"Damon!" Jolene yelled, as she covered her mouth and nose with the balled up jacket trying to not inhale so much smoke.

"Jolene?" Damon asked as she struggled to try and stand up.

Jolene ran over to him.

She helped him to his feet and they started towards the stairs, coughing she almost collapsed as she inhaled a deep breath of smoke it burnt her throat.

"Damon! Jolene!" Stefan yelled as he saw them at the bottom of the stairs.

Grabbing them both he ran at lightning fast speed out of the building.

As they made it out of the building, Jolene leaned over and grabbed her knees as she coughed so hard it felt like her ribs were breaking.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked her, as Bonnie joined and looked at them.

"I'm fine…" She breathed out, looking over to Damon.

"You could have died!" Bonnie lectured her friend.

"I held the fire off long enough..." Jolene said, but her words were interrupted by another coughing fit.

Her cellphone rang; it was Tyler telling her that he had been in a car accident.

Hanging up the phone she said, "Tyler was in a car accident... I gotta go."

"You've inhaled a lot of smoke." Damon said, still weak from the vervain injection.

"I'm alright… I just need some air." Jolene said, coughing again.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N - I hope you guys liked the new chapter! I fully intended on posting this yesterday, but I got busy with homework and never got around to it.**

**It would really make my day if you would take the time to leave a review! I appreciate them all more than you know, and you guys always keep me inspired to write more. ^_^**


	28. The Dark is too hard to Beat

**Chapter 28 – The Dark is too hard to Beat-**

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"Tyler! Matt!" Jolene yelled as she ran into the hospital, and saw them sitting in the waiting room.

"Jo!" Tyler said, as he stood and hugged her, holding her tight against him.

"Where's Caroline?" Jolene asked looking to Matt sitting in a chair.

Letting go of Tyler and barely having time to cover her mouth, Jolene broke out in another fit of coughing.

"Are you okay?" Tyler asked.

Matt stood to greet Caroline's mom as she walked out of the back and into the waiting room with them.

"There was some internal bleeding… they're taking her into surgery now." Liz explained her eyes misty as she spoke.

"Oh my god. Is she going to be okay?" Jolene asked.

After a pause Liz said, "They're going to do everything they can."

Jolene opened her mouth to say something, but started coughing again.

"Tyler, have you talked to your mom?" Liz asked.

"No… Why?" He questioned, as he rubbed a hand over Jolene's back as she continued to cough.

"It's your dad." Liz said.

"I'm fine… go call your mom Ty." Jolene said, trying to catch her breath.

After Tyler left and Sherriff Forbes went to get a coffee.

Jolene coughed again, this time some blood spewed from her mouth and into the palm of her hand.

"Oh my god! Jo!" Matt said, looking at her.

"There… was a fire. I breathed in too much smoke." Jolene sputtered, as she continued to cough.

"I… I can't breathe…" Jolene said, as she kept coughing.

"We need help!" Matt yelled at the nurse sitting at the station, as Jolene passed out and slide from her chair onto the floor.

**((()))**

"Damon?" Jolene asked as she sat up in her hospital bed.

"Where's Tyler?" she asked looking around the room.

"The mayor is dead… he ended up in the basement but he wasn't a vampire." Damon said his voice hushed.

"Oh my god poor Tyler." Jolene said, as she hung her head.

"Jo, hey. Glad you're awake." Marshall said as he walked into his daughter's room and looked at the monitor screens showing her vital signs.

"I have to be honest though, things weren't looking so good… your oxygen levels dropped dangerously low, I wasn't sure if there was going to be permanent damage." He explained as he looked over his daughters chart.

"I'm all better." Jolene said, as she tossed her blanket off of her.

"Where are you going?" Marshall asked, covering her back up.

"To see Tyler… his dad is dead." Jolene said.

Marshall shot Damon a look before saying.

"There is nothing you can do to help that. Right now you need to take care of yourself." He said.

"I'm fine." Jolene snapped.

"He's right; the best place for you to be is in the hospital." Damon said.

"You just don't want me to see Tyler." Jolene argued.

Her dad's eyes went to the monitor as her blood pressure started to rise.

"Damon, she needs to stay calm." Marshall said.

Damon looked up to the screen.

"I'm signing myself out and there is nothing either one of you can do about it. I am legally responsible for myself." Jolene said, tossing the blanket off of her again.

"Now go get my discharge papers." Jolene ordered to her dad.

Shaking his head angrily he left the room.

Once the door was shut, Jolene looked at Damon "You gave me your blood… again?"

"I told you… when it comes down to it, I will always save you." Damon said.

"I don't need saving." Jolene said, angrily.

"Jo, listen." Damon said as he grabbed her arm to keep her from getting up.

"You almost died, because you ran into a burning building to save me. You weren't going to let me die… why do you think I'd let you die?" Damon asked her.

"The hospital staff and medicine would have fixed me." Jolene stubbornly said.

"No, they couldn't. They didn't even know how the hell you drove yourself here." Damon explained.

Jolene's eyes widened, "Oh my god! Caroline, is she still alive?"

"She's going to be fine." Damon reassured her.

"What are you doing? Making rounds in the critical care unit, passing out your blood to anyone who might be dying? What if something happens and she gets turned?" Jolene asked.

"She's going to be here all night, I gave her enough blood to heal her. As long as she doesn't die, she'll be fine. She's in the hospital. It's safe." Damon told her.

"Would you rather we let her die?" Damon asked her.

"No! Of course not, she's my best friend." Jolene said.

"Then what's the problem?" Damon asked her.

Their conversation was cut short when the door to her room opened again.

Her dad handed her a clipboard, and she scribbled her signature.

**(((The next day)))**

Jolene shook Tyler awake; she had spent the night with him.

"We have to get dressed, people are going to start showing up within the hour." She said, as she turned and faced him.

"My dad's memorial service is the last thing I want to do. God, it just… it just doesn't even seem real." Tyler said.

"I know…" Jolene said as she leaned forward and kissed him.

Later that day Jolene was walking around downstairs, while Tyler stood outside and thanked the people who showed up.

"Sorry." Jolene said as she bumped into someone.

Getting a feeling coldness, and darkness taking her over when she touched the person she looked up to see who she thought we Elena.

"Jolene, sorry. I didn't see you." The girl said.

Jolene looked her up and down, realizing it had to be Katherine because she had just gotten off the phone a few moments ago with Elena who was just on her way to the Lockwood Mansion.

"It's fine Elena, I'm just kind of not myself today. Have a lot going on." Jolene said, putting on a friendly smile.

"It's understandable, with your boyfriend's dad and all." Katherine said.

"Speaking of. I need to find him, but I'll catch up with you later." Jolene said, as she turned and walked away.

She found Tyler outside.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" She asked, holding onto his face.

"Considering everything, I guess…" He said, looking at her confused.

"Right…. Sorry." Jolene said, as she hugged him. She had been worried maybe Katherine was there to hurt people.

Tyler held her close, and said "I think maybe the question is… are you okay? You've just kind of been acting weird."

"Yeah… I'm just a little weak still. I've got to find Bonnie." Jolene said as she kissed him, and headed back inside.

After a little while she saw Bonnie heading into a room and talking on the phone with someone.

Just as Jolene headed into the room, she saw Katherine.

"We haven't officially met. I'm Katherine." She said, as Bonnie hung up the phone.

"Why are you here?" Jolene asked walking further into the room.

"I know who you are." Bonnie said.

"Of course you do. You're the best friend, right? I've been putting all the pieces of Elena's life together. I do know who Jenna and Jeremy are, and I've met that delicious ex-boyfriend Matt, who's sweet on Caroline. Then there's you, the vampire hating Bennett witch." Katherine said to Bonnie.

Jolene cautiously took a few steps closer to Bonnie.

"And of course, I can't forget you, Jolene… Damon's new obsession." Katherine said with a smirk.

"Take it from a girl who knows, you're after the wrong Salvatore." Katherine said, still smirking.

Jolene's jaw tensed in anger.

"We need to go." Bonnie said, grabbing Jolene's arm as they started for the door, but Katherine appeared in front of them.

After Bonnie tried to use her powers, Katherine faked being affected and said, "I've been around a long time, Bonnie. You're going to have to do better than that."

Grabbing Bonnie by the throat, she pinned her against the wall.

Jolene took a deep breath and concentrated on Katherine mumbling a spell under breath.

Katherine groaned in pain and let of Bonnie taking a few steps back.

Stefan walked in the room, and Jolene eased her concentration.

"How did you do that?" Katherine asked through gritted teeth as she still felt the after effects.

Bonnie looked at Jolene her eyes wide, knowing that she had used every bit of her strength and it had no effect on Katherine.

"Leave them alone, Katherine." Stefan said.

"Okay." Katherine replied, as she walked out of the room.

Stefan followed her.

"Oh my god, Jolene. How did you do that?" Bonnie asked.

"I'm a witch… you know that." Jolene said.

"I couldn't even affect her… you damn neared brought her down. I don't understand, I thought you didn't even have control of your powers." Bonnie said.

"My bloodline works a little differently from yours." Jolene said.

"What does that even mean?" Bonnie asked.

"I can't really say." Jolene said, remembering all of the conversations where her mom had told that under no circumstances was she supposed to say anything about being a mage.

"Are you in control of your power?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah." Jolene said, biting her lip.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Bonnie asked her seeming hurt.

"I lied okay? And I'm going to keep lying about it. Having others know I'm really powerful and I know what I'm doing is too much responsibility." Jolene admitted.

"Are you lying about being a witch to? Because I heard your spell and it's nothing like anything I've read before." Bonnie accused.

"What else could I be, Bonnie? I have to go." Jolene said as she quickly left the room.

**(((Later that night)))**

"Hey…" Jolene said as she walked into the room with Tyler.

Tyler looked at the picture of his dad on the desk.

"I'm glad he's dead." Tyler said.

"You don't mean that." Jolene said walking over to him.

"Yes I do. I hate him." Tyler growled, as he slammed the picture down and glass shattered.

"You have every right to be hurt and angry…" Jolene said, as she rested her hand on his arm.

"I hate him!" Tyler yelled louder as he knocked all the other pictures and glass off the desk and it shattered on impact with the floor.

"Tyler, what are you doing?" Carol asked as she walked in the room and looked at the mess on the floor.

"I hate him!" Tyler yelled again.

"Oh, don't say that, honey." Carol said as she tried to hug her son.

"Let go of me!" He yelled pushing her backwards, but luckily she landed on the couch.

"Tyler! Listen to me, calm down." Jolene said as she rushed up to him, and held onto his cheeks her eyes pleaded with him.

But the look in his eyes scared her, it was nothing but anger, pure rage. As if he didn't have any other emotion.

"Get off me!" He yelled, grabbed her arms and throwing her backwards. Landing next to the glass, her arm got cut on a jagged piece of glass.

Before anyone had time to respond, Tyler's uncle Mason knocked him to the ground.

"Get off me!" Tyler yelled, fighting against his hold.

"Hey. Tyler. Hey, hey!" Mason yelled holding his nephew down.

"Tyler!" Carol yelled, shocked at seeing her son's behavior.

"Get the hell off me!" He yelled, fighting with all his might against his Uncles strength.

"Look at me! Calm down!" Mason yelled.

Finally Tyler took a breath and calmed down some.

Letting go of him, Mason walked over to Jolene.

"Are you okay?" He asked, extending a hand to her.

Blinking back tears, she nodded and let him pull her to her feet.

**((()))(())((())))**

**A/N - _Thank you all for reading! I hope you liked the chapter. ^_^ ... I think it's a little obvious now that Jolene and Tyler won't last much longer..._**

_**How is everyone liking the new season? I'll admit, i've gotten a little behind on the episodes but thanks to my DVR i plan to get caught up this week. I have to say though, i do miss human Elena...**_

**Please take a couple moments to leave me a review! It always means so much to me when I go back through and read them, they really inspire me to keep on writing and updating. ^_^**


	29. Turned to Stone

**Chapter 29 –Turned to Stone-**

**((()))(())((()))**

"Hello?" Elena answered her phone.

"Hey… do you wanna stay the night at my house?" Jolene asked.

"I can't tonight. After the day Jeremy's had, I just don't want to leave him alone." Elena said.,

"Right, sorry I asked. Wasn't really thinking." Jolene said, as she washed the blood off her arm from her fall.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked, sensing something was wrong by her voice.

"It's just after the day I've had, I don't really want to be alone either." Jolene admitted.

"Aren't you at Tyler's?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, but I just can't stay here tonight." Jolene said, pinning her eyes shut as tears stung them.

"You're more than welcome to stay here." Elena said.

"That sounds good." Jolene said, her voice cracked a little.

"Okay, see you in a little bit." Elena said as they ended their call.

Jolene finished washing her arm and bandaged it up, before heading to the kitchen.

"Are you going back to your house?" Tyler asked, as he walked in the kitchen.

Jolene took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.

"I… I don't know, I think I might stay with Elena or something." Jolene admitted.

"You could stay here…" Tyler said.

"No, I can't." Jolene said, taking a drink of the cold water.

"I'm sorry, Jo. I don't know what happened." He said.

"You hurt me… again, Tyler; psychically hurt me." She said.

"I know." He said, his voice soft.

"You… pushed your own mom. I get that you are upset and these past few days have been a living hell, but what the hell is going on?" Jolene asked.

"I don't know what else to say. I'm so sorry that I hurt you, and if I could take it back I would. I can't believe I did this." He said, looking at her bandaged arm.

"Me either." Jolene said.

"I just… it was like all I could see was red. I didn't even really know what I was doing." Tyler said.

"You know, I have days when I'm so mad at everyone, I just want to hit something. But I don't push people to the ground, and no matter what my parents have done I wouldn't have ever thrown my mom down. Something is wrong with you Tyler." Jolene said.

"You think I don't know that? You think I want to be this way?" He asked, angrily.

"I think that I just spent the last hour with your mom while she cried herself to sleep. You scared her, bad. And honestly, you're scaring me too. There is a lot of stuff I can handle, but I really don't know if I can handle this." Jolene admitted.

"I don't want to be like this." He admitted.

"Then control your anger, Tyler." Jolene said.

"That's just it… you don't get it. It's just like…" He started to explain, but she cut him off.

"Like some kind of switch gets flipped and you can't control it. Yeah, I know. I've heard it before." Jolene said.

Tyler was silent.

"Look, I'm going to stay with Elena tonight. Tomorrow, I'll go check on Caroline and then I'll come back here. You're not alone in any of this Tyler…" Jolene said, as she walked up to him, and placed her hand on the side of his face.

"Maybe I should be." Tyler said.

"What?" Jolene asked.

He gently grabbed her hand and held it in his.

"You're right… I hurt you, again. I hate myself for that; you are the last person on this earth that I would want to do anything to hurt. But I did, and that scares the hell out of me. I can't control it, Jo. There is something wrong with me…I just don't know why, or what it is." Tyler said.

"Tyler…?" Jolene questioned.

"God Jo. I want to be with you so bad… I love you." He said.

She was silent as she looked in his eyes.

"But I think we have to break up." He finally said.

"What?" Jolene gasped.

"I'm not good for you… what I if I lose it and end up really hurting you? I can't control my anger…" He said.

"You're breaking up with me?" Jolene repeated her green eyes filled with tears.

"I wish I didn't have to, but the only way I can protect you is not be with you. When I see you even looking at Damon, it takes everything that's in me to not rip him apart, and what scares me is the fact that it makes me want to hurt you too." Tyler admitted.

"You've got your house, and your car… and you're doing so good. All I'm going to do is bring you down." He said.

"I don't want to lose you…" Jolene said a few tears spilling form her eyes.

"God, please don't cry." Tyler said.

"I'm sorry." Jolene said as she rubbed her eyes.

Pulling her in for a hug, he said. "You're not losing me, Jo. But I think we both know it's better for both of us."

She nodded, and tried to stop her chin from quivering.

"I don't have the best luck with trying to keep ex-boyfriends as friends." Jolene admitted her voice a little muffled by Tyler's shirt.

"I am not Damon. We were friends a long time before this happened… I'm willing to be friends if you are." Tyler said.

Holding the soft fabric of his t-shirt tight in her fisted hands she nodded.

Taking a step back and holding her tears in she said, "I'm going to go… but I'm still coming by to check on you tomorrow."

"Okay." Tyler said, holding his own tears in.

Jolene drove with the windows of her car down to Elena's, she left the radio off; afraid that a sad song would play and she'd lose it.

As she reached Elena's and climbed the stairs to her house, the heaviness of the night hit her.

Knocking on the door she took a few deep shuddering breaths, but by the time Jeremy opened the door she was standing there bawling.

"Oh my god… what happened?" Jeremy asked, staring at her.

"Can I come in?" Jolene managed to ask through her tears.

"Yeah," Jeremy said standing to the side.

"God, I feel like such an idiot." Jolene said, trying to wipe the tears from her face. She hated crying in front of people.

"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked her, his eyes wide.

More tears streamed down her face and she couldn't answer him.

"I'm going to get Elena… okay?" He asked.

She nodded, and he ran up the stairs.

Moments later Elena walked down the stairs and looked at her.

"What happened?" Elena asked as she crossed the room and pulled her in for a hug.

"Tyler broke up with me." Jolene admitted.

"I'm so sorry." Elena said, holding her even tighter.

"I'm sorry for showing up like this… I don't really have anywhere else to go." Jolene admitted.

"You can stay here for as long as you need to." Elena said.

A little while later, Elena released her hold on her.

"I'm going to make a sandwich or something… you should eat to." Elena urged.

"I just need to use your bathroom first…" Jolene said.

"Okay, I'll be in the kitchen." Elena said.

As Jolene looked in the bathroom mirror at her blotchy red face, her phone rang.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Where are you?" Damon asked.

"I'm at Elena's, why? Where are you?" She asked.

"Outside of your house." He admitted.

"Why? Are you okay?" Jolene asked.

He didn't answer.

"Damon?" She questioned, but the line went dead when he hung up.

Sighing she washed her face, a little while later she walked out of the bathroom into Elena's room.

"Oh my god! You scared me." Jolene said, when she saw Damon sitting on the foot of Elena's bed.

"Katherine never loved me… you know. 145 years… wasted." Damon said.

"I'm sorry, Damon." Jolene said as she laid the towel she had been drying her face with, on Elena's dresser.

"Didn't you already know that?" Jolene asked.

"Stings a bit more to hear her say it." He admitted.

"You wanna talk about it?" She asked, even though she felt like if she heard one more sad story she was going to scream.

"Nothing to say." He said.

"I never really got a chance to thank you… for saving me. I know sometimes, I can really seem ungrateful, but I know you're just trying to look out for me." Jolene said, as she leaned against the dresser.

"That's me. Your trusty body guard, calm in crisis." Damon said, his words a little slurred.

"Have you been drinking?" Jolene asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I know you're upset… and I'm sorry, but right now I'm an emotional train wreck and I really can't handle anything else today." She admitted.

"I'm not upset. Upset is an emotion specific to those who care." Damon said.

"That's a lie, Damon. You care." Jolene said.

"I cared about Katherine, look where that got me." He said.

"Then I cared about you… and you don't want anything to do with me." Damon pointed out. "Caring has gotten me nowhere."

"That's not true. I just needed you to respect boundaries of friendship… and you didn't." She said.

"Can we please not do this tonight?" Jolene asked, weakened from all her crying.

"Why not? How is it that you've got time for everyone else? You're the liar, Jolene. You kept me hanging on because you're selfish." He said.

"I'm selfish? Are you kidding me? The reason we broke up was because everything you did was selfish!" Jolene exclaimed.

"Come on, doesn't everything that we've been doing mean something? There is something going on between the two of us and you know it." Damon said.

"Seriously… I can't handle this tonight, Damon." Jolene pleaded.

"There is something going on with us… and you're lying to me, and your lying to Tyler and most of all you're lying to yourself." Damon said as he now stood only inches in front of her.

"I don't have the strength for this tonight. Are you just not hearing me?" Jolene asked her voice weak.

"Admit it." Damon said.

"There is nothing to admit… right now I feel like hell and I've had a really bad day. I want to be there for you, but I don't even have the energy to deal with my own crap right now." Jolene said.

"I can prove that you still love me." He said, as he grabbed onto the sides of her face and kissed her.

"No… Damon, stop." Jolene fought as she tried to push him back, but he kept his hold tight on her.

Finally able to pull away she said, "Damon don't. I said stop… what's wrong with you?" Jolene asked, raising her arms to push him away.

"You can't lie about this, Jolene." He said, as he held onto her wrists and didn't let her pull away as he kissed her again.

"Jo, are you…" Elena's voice trailed off as she saw Jolene trying to push Damon back.

"What's going on?" Elena asked them.

"Nothing, everything is fine." Jolene lied, as she tried to pull her arms away from Damon but he kept his hold on her.

"Damon… you're better than this." Jolene said.

"That's where you're wrong." Damon said, as he leaned in to kiss her again.

"Stop it! Let her go!" Elena yelled.

Hearing the commotion in the room next to his, Jeremy walked in the room.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked them.

"Nothing, Jer. It's okay… go back to bed." Elena told her younger brother.

"No it's not okay, Elena." Damon said, finally letting go of Jolene and looking back at Jeremy.

"Damon, stop it! He has nothing to do with this." Jolene said.

"He wants to be a vampire." Damon said, turning his attention to Jeremy.

In an instant Damon had Jeremy pinned to the wall by his neck.

"No Damon!" Elena yelled at the same time Jolene shouted, "Stop it!'

"You wanna shut off the pain? It's the easiest thing in the world, the part of you that cares just goes away. All you have to do is flip the switch and snap!" Damon said, as he broke Jeremy's neck.

"No!" Elena and Jolene both yelled as Jeremy's lifeless body fell to the floor.

"Oh my god!" Elena yelled as she cradled her little brothers limp body.

Tears poured down Jolene's face as she looked up to Damon. He lingered in the door way for a moment, before leaving.

"Elena! Look!" Jolene said as she grabbed Jeremy's hand and showed her the ring on his finger.

"He's going to be okay. He's going to be okay, Elena." Jolene said as she wrapped her arms around her friend.

"He saw the ring… that's why he did it." Stefan said, after they had called him.

"He didn't see the ring." Elena said, still cradling Jeremy's body.

"He might have." Stefan offered.

"He didn't." Jolene said as she sat down on the side of the bed and put her head in her hands.

"You know, I thought he had some good in him. But… he doesn't. There is nothing good about him." Elena said.

"He just doesn't want to feel anymore. He wants to be hated, because it's just easier that way." Jolene said, wiping some tears from her cheeks.

"He got his wish. I hate him." Elena said.

"I hate him, Stefan." Elena repeated.

"I know." Stefan said, his voice soothing as he rubbed Elena's back.

"I'm so sorry." Jolene said, standing up.

"It's not your fault." Elena said through her tears.

"Yes it is… I shouldn't have come here. If I had just gone home, no one else would have gotten hurt." Jolene said her whole body shook from her crying.

"Damon killed him, not you!" Elena yelled, looking up at her friend.

"Jolene, don't let him do this to you. You can't internalize all of this; it's not your fault." Stefan said, standing and looking at her.

"It's always my fault, Stefan. I knew Damon wanted more than to be friends, and I just wanted so bad to keep Tyler and not lose Damon. But look at what I've done! I led Damon along, and I hurt him. Now Tyler dumped me, and I don't have anyone." Jolene said, running her fingers through her hair.

"Don't say that." Stefan said.

"Why not? It's true! Maybe… I don't know, maybe this is what I get for all of the bad things I've done. Maybe in some sick, twisted way this is karma biting me in ass by hurting people that I care about." Jolene said, as she looked at Elena's devastated expression as she still held onto her little brother.

"I think it's just better if I leave. I am so sorry." Jolene said, as she started out of Elena's room,

"Jo wait!" Elena yelled, but Jolene kept walking.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N - _Thank you all for reading! I really hope you liked the update. ^_^_**

**I'd really appreciate it if you would take the time to leave a review! I've been working so hard to keep the updates coming on a regular basis for this story, and your kind words truly inspire me to keep going with it. Thank you all so much! ^_^**


	30. Caroline

**Chapter 30 –Caroline-**

**((()))(())((()))**

Jolene looked in the mirror as she scrunched her hair that she had spent the last half an hour curling.

She was wearing a light orange tank top under a darker pink shirt and her favorite jeans.

Walking down the stairs of her house she went into the kitchen and had a small bowl of oatmeal with orange juice before grabbing her purse and heading into the garage.

Walking into the school during the set up for the carnival, Jolene saw Stefan and Elena talking by some lockers.

"Hey." Jolene said, walking up to them.

"Where have you been? It's been 3 days Jo! You weren't at your house because you didn't answer your phone." Elena said, looking at her friend concerned.

"Yeah… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make everyone worry. I've been in North Carolina." Jolene admitted.

"Why?" Elena questioned.

"Needed a few days away from Mystic Falls; am I the only one who seems to notice how our little backwoods town just sucks the life out of everyone?" Jolene muttered.

"How are you doing?" Stefan asked her.

"I'm… here. Helping set up the carnival like a normal high school girl." Jolene said.

"Why out of all places did you go to North Carolina?" Elena asked.

"To see my grandmother." Jolene admitted.

"I thought your grandmother lived in Virginia, just a few hours away." Elena asked.

"Not my mom's mom. I went to see my dad's mom." Jolene clarified.

"Why?" Elena asked.

"So I could find out more about my witch blood from my dad's side of the family… I got a few old spell books and stuff." Jolene said, her eyes revealed her anxiousness.

"What happened?" Elena asked, knowing something was wrong.

"You guys know how I've been talking to my mom through my dreams and stuff, right?" She asked.

They both nodded.

"Well, the night after I used my powers to get Katherine off of Bonnie, I had this dream with my mom again. Only it was like normal. Something was wrong, she looked different and she told me she was wrong about our family… and that I had to stop using the my abilities or something bad was going to happen to me." Jolene admitted.

"Did she elaborate?" Stefan asked.

"No, she didn't have time. I always talk to her in the same spot in the woods it's beautiful with sunlight shining down through the trees. Only this time, it was all so dark and cold and it didn't feel right. It felt evil. Before my mom could explain everything there were all these loud booms like thunder, and the darkness completely surrounded us and she disappeared." Jolene told them.

"Oh my god…" Elena said.

"Is there more?" Stefan asked.

"She did say that the powers were evil, that it wasn't good like she had first thought. She seemed really terrified." Jolene admitted.

"I may have not been entirely honest with you guys about me being a witch. When my mom first came to me in my dreams, she told me that I was so powerful from both of my parents having magic in the family. Only difference was on my mom's side we're not witches… we're mages." Jolene admitted.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Elena asked her.

"My mom told me I couldn't tell anyone; that I needed to carry on like I was just a witch. So I didn't tell anyone at all. But something is wrong I can feel it." Jolene told them.

"What is the difference from between a mage and witch?" Elena asked.

"I don't know. Mages are more powerful I guess… we don't always need a spell to use our powers. My mom described it as like, regular witches have a special connection with nature that they harness the elements for power; but mages are masters of the elements, it's a different kind of power. But I don't understand any of it, and I don't think my mom did either." Jolene said.

"Have you ever heard of mages?" Jolene asked Stefan, hoping in his lifetime he may have come across a few.

"Never." Stefan admitted. "But I'll see what I can find out." He reassured her.

"But not today. Today we are everyday high school students." Jolene said, taking a deep breath.

"Yes! We are going to be boring high school students who live in a world where the V-word is not uttered." Elena agreed.

"Got it." Stefan said.

"And then later, you're gonna take me to the Ferris-wheel. We're gonna ride to the very top, you're gonna kiss me and my heart will flutter like a normal girl." Elena said to Stefan.

Jolene felt a twinge of jealousy at how good Elena's and Stefan's relationship was.

"I'll find you guys later." Jolene said, as she tucked her hands in her pockets and headed off.

**((((At the carnival))))**

Jolene walked around sipping on her lemon shakeup when she saw Damon. She was about to turn around and head the opposite way but she saw him grab Jeremy by the back of the neck and pull him around the back of a food stand.

Dropping her drink in the nearest trash can she ran to the food stand, rounding the corner to hear Damon say, "This is what we're not gonna do. We're not gonna walk around like we're invincible… not when it is this easy for me to end you."

Jolene's eyes widened and within seconds Damon had released his hold on Jeremy and crumpled to the ground.

Jeremy jumped to the side, and coughed as he looked at Jolene surprised.

"Leave him alone." Jolene said.

Rising back to his feet Damon scoffed, "What are you? His body guard?"

Jolene looked unamsued.

Narrowing her eyes he fell back to the ground in pain.

Turning Jolene started to walk away when Jeremy caught up with her.

"How did you do that?" He asked.

"It's not important, Jer." Jolene said, as she kept walking.

"uh… yeah, I think it kind of is." He said, gently grabbing her arm to make her stop.

Jolene pulled her arm away from Jeremy.

"It's not important you just need to stay away from Damon, don't think that just because you defied death once because of your ring that you are invincible against him. Rings come off Jeremy." Jolene said.

"I get that." Jeremy told her.

"Really? Because I know Damon isn't exactly in control of his emotions. But he doesn't just snap like that unprovoked. I know he killed you and you're still reeling from that and I know that you probably want nothing more than revenge…" Jolene said, but he cut her off.

"Damn right I want revenge, Jo. I want to drive a stake through his heart… he snapped my neck." Jeremy reminded her.

Jolene's jaw tensed in anger from the thought of anyone trying to kill Damon.

"I have to go." Jolene said as she turned and briskly walked away, leaving Jeremy with more questions than answers.

A little later in the night she was at a booth throwing darts when Damon said, "I need you to come with me, Jo."

"Well, I need you to go to hell Damon." She responded as her dart popped the balloon and she pointed to the stuffed panda bear as her prize.

"You don't understand. I need you to come with me now." He said, his eyes serious.

"What's going on?" She asked as she carried her stuffed panda by its leg as she followed him into the school where Stefan and Elena were.

"What's this about?" Jolene asked.

They all listened as Damon explained his run in with Caroline and how she was a vampire because of Katherine.

"Oh my god… poor Care." Jolene said.

"We have to find her." Elena said nodding.

"Yep, and kill her." Damon said.

"No way in hell." Jolene said through gritted teeth.

"She knows who we are. She's officially a liability; we have to get rid of her." Damon pointed out.

"You're not going to kill Caroline." Elena protested.

"Damon, absolutely not." Stefan agreed with the girls.

"Need I remind you of a tragic little story of a girl named Vicki Donovan?" Damon reminded them.

Jolene's head hurt form anger at Damon bringing her up.

"Need I remind you of why the hell Vicki's story is so tragic?" Jolene asked, her eyes narrowed.

"As I recall… she was killed by her best friend." Damon said.

"That's a low blow." Jolene said shaking her head.

"Caroline out of all people will not make it as a vampire. Her mother is a vampire hunter." Damon reminded them.

"There is no way… I swear to god if you try it…" Jolene's voice trailed off, Damon stood and faced her.

"You'll what? I don't like to be threatened Jolene." He said, his nostrils slightly flared in anger at her.

"Wasn't it a carnival the night you stabbed Vicki? Talk about town history repeating itself." Damon said.

"I am not Jeremy, Damon. Don't think for a minute that your threats affect me, I know exactly what I am and what I am capable of… don't mess with me." Jolene argued, taking a step towards Damon to show she wasn't going to back down.

"What?" Elena asked at the mention of her brother's name.

"Yeah… he was threatening to kill Jeremy earlier tonight. By the way… might have used my powers in front of him." Jolene admitted to Elena.

"I'm off to find Caroline." Jolene said as she left the room.

**(((())))**

"Caroline?" Jolene asked running up to her and Damon.

"He's dead. I killed him." Caroline said, as she had tears running down her face.

Jolene looked to the dead carnival worker.

"It's okay, Care." Jolene soothed.

"I can help you." Dmaon said.

"You can? How?" Caroline asked him.

"I'm going to kill you." Damon told her.

"No." Caroline sobbed.

"No you aren't." Jolene said standing between him and Caroline.

"It's the only way." Damon said.

"No it's not." Jolene yelled.

"Come on, Care. Let's get you out of here." Jolene said as she turned to Caroline who was now standing beside her.

"What's happening to me?" Caroline sobbed.

"No time to explain now." Jolene said.

"uhh…" Jolene looked around.

Taking a bottle of water from her purse before dropping the bag to the ground, she then pulled her pink over shirt off leaving her in the orange tank top.

Pouring the water onto the shirt, she began to clean the blood off Caroline's face.

Caroline's sobs grew louder as Elena and Stefan showed up, and Caroline was confused as she thought Elena was the one who had killed her.

"I have to get her inside." Jolene said, looking to Stefan.

"She's going to die." Damon told them.

"Maybe so, but it's not going to happen tonight." Stefan said, standing between Jolene and Damon as Jolene kept a grip on Caroline's arm.

"Oh yeah it is." Damon said, as he grabbed the stake and charged for them.

In an instant Jolene pushed Caroline behind her and gasped as the wooden stake came only inches away from her chest.

Damon stopped to keep from stabbing her.

"She is my best friend, Damon." Jolene pleaded.

"You gonna to use your witchy powers on me again?" Damon questioned, keeping the stake pointed at her.

"I don't want to… in spite of everything that you've done, I still believe there is a tiny shred of humanity in you. A part of you that still cares about me. So I'm asking you to please not do this." Jolene begged, tears stinging her eyes.

After a pause, Damon lowered the stake and said, "Whatever happens, it's on you."

On their way into the school they ran into Bonnie.

"Caroline? No… you can't be." Bonnie said, as she rushed forward and placed her hand on Caroline's arm. Using her powers she could tell Caroline was now a vampire.

"Oh god." Bonnie said, as a few tears fell down her face.

Walking past them she gasped when she saw the body of the carnival worker that Caroline had drained.

"Bonnie?" Elena said, walking up to her friend.

"We need to get her inside." Jolene said, looking to Stefan.

Nodding he helped them inside and into the girls bathroom.

Wetting the blood stained shirt in the sink, she continued wipe the blood off her best friends face.

"She hates me. Bonnie hates me." Caroline sobbed.

"She's just in shock." Stefan offered.

"We all are, but you've still got me. Okay? I'm not going to abandon you, Care." Jolene said, as she quickly scrubbed the blood off her friends face.

"Why? I'm a murderer. I'm a monster." Caroline continued to cry.

"Your emotions are heightened right now. It's a part of the transformation. It's normal, I promise you." Stefan said as he wetted some paper towels and began to help Jolene scrub the blood off of Caroline.

As Jolene's wrist neared Caroline's mouth, Caroline's eyes started to change.

Jolene didn't see it, but Stefan grabbed her wrist pulling it away just in time.

"I'm so sorry… oh my god." Caroline sobbed.

Looking in the mirror she yelled, "Why does this keep happening to my face?"

"It's normal when you smell blood." Jolene offered, looking at Stefan for help.

"Look at me, look at my face." Stefan said, as he showed her that his eyes do the same thing. "When you feel the blood rush tell yourself you're going to get through it. That you are strong enough." Stefan said as he stood in front of Caroline.

Jolene moved to the sink beside them as she looked down her now blood stained hands still clutching the shirt she had been using as a rag.

As Jolene turned the water on she started to scrub the blood off her hands with soap; she took a few deep breathes trying to keep in control but within minutes tears were pouring down her face.

She knew everything had changed, the weight of it all was crushing and she held onto her sides as she tried to catch her breath.

Jolene tried to regain control as Stefan was still trying to get Caroline calmed down.

"Jo! I need you to be strong right now, okay?" Stefan yelled looking over his shoulder.

"I… I think I'm having… a panic attack. Or something." Jolene said, still clutching her sides as she felt like she wasn't able to get any oxygen.

"Jo!" Stefan yelled.

"This changes everything." She muttered.

Letting go of Caroline, Stefan went to Jolene. Putting a hand on both sides of her face, he said, "We are going to work through this. I'm not going to let anything happen to her. But she needs you to be strong right now, can you do that?" Stefan asked her.

Jolene's breathing slowed some, and she nodded.

Walking back to Caroline, Stefan repeated what he had said, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"I will be back, but I need some air. I can't breathe in here." Jolene said, as she turned and left the room.

Heading back to where Caroline had killed the man.

Jolene saw Damon writhing on the ground in pain.

"Bon?" Jolene questioned wondering what had happened.

Jolene watched as Bonnie used her mind to turn the water hose on and the water sprayed over the pavement making its way to Damon.

"What are you doing?" Jolene asked, knowing Bonnie could set water on fire.

"I told you what would happen if anyone else got hurt." Bonnie said.

"This was Katherine's fault!" Jolene yelled running to Bonnie's side.

Through his pain Damon breathed out, "I didn't do this..."

"Everything that happens is his fault, Jolene." Bonnie argued.

Jolene's eyes widened as she saw the fire erupt from the water and spread quickly across the ground to Damon.

"Damon!" Jolene yelled as she watched him scream in agony as he caught fire.

"Stop it!" Jolene yelled, as she used her own powers to put the fire out.

"What are you doing?" Bonnie asked as she looked back to Damon and within seconds he was back on fire.

Again Jolene used her powers to put the fire out.

"Why did you stop me?" Bonnie asked, feeling drained and not able to start the fire again.

Jolene rushed to Damon as he was still franticly smacking the fabric on his jeans as if they were still on fire.

"It's okay… It's okay." Jolene said, crouching on the ground beside him.

Jolene looked over to see Elena talking to Bonnie, and then the pair walked away with Bonnie sobbing in Elena's arms.

Jolene sat all the way down on the pavement, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her forehead on her knees.

Damon made pained noises as he managed to sit up to.

"You just can't decide if you hate me or love me, can you?" Damon asked, his voice still hoarse.

"We have to get rid of the body." Jolene replied, taking a deep breath of the night air.

"That's all you have to say?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, it is." Jolene replied.

"One minute you're threatening me and the next trying to save me…" Damon went on.

"I don't want to talk about us right now. We have a body to dispose of." Jolene said, trying to make her voice sound cold.

"Thank you… for putting the flames out." He said.

"It's apparently what I do. I stand by my friends even if their turned into vampires, I help hide bodies and cover up murders. And no matter what I do, I can't shake the feelings for you. But right now, my one and only concern is Caroline. So I could really use some help trying to get rid of the guy she killed." Jolene said, as she stood up and walked towards the dead carnival worker.

**((()))**

"How's Caroline?" Jolene asked as she got back to the school and met up with Elena and Stefan.

"She's okay for now, I'm going to check on her later." Stefan told her.

"Thank you." Jolene said gratefully.

"What about the body?" Elena asked.

"Taken care of." Jolene said, taking a deep breath.

"You okay?" Stefan asked her.

"I don't know." Jolene admitted.

"You wanna stay with me tonight?" Elena asked her.

"Because that worked so well the last time." Jolene said with an eyebrow raised.

"Thanks but no. I've got a few things to do and then I'm going to head home. Please let me know if Caroline needs anything." Jolene said, turning her attention to Stefan.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N -Thank you for reading! I really hope you all liked the chapter. ^_^**

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let me know if you're still reading and liking the story. I appreciate them all so much, even if it's just a few lines. You guys inspire me to keep writing and updating. ^_^**


	31. Moonstone

**Chapter 31 –Moonstone-**

**((()))(())((()))**

Jolene pulled to a stop outside of the Lockwood mansion, she walked up to the door and was about to knock but saw almost all of the lights were off.

Finding the key to the house on her key ring she let herself in.

Seeing the light from the mayor's study on, she quietly let herself into the room.

"Oh… secret Lockwood safe?" Jolene asked Tyler as he knelt down on the floor.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her.

"Because I have this unyielding need to know that the people I care about are okay, and you didn't answer your phone." She admitted, as she crouched on the floor across from him.

"Under the floor safe… what did your dad need to hide in there?" Jolene asked.

"This…" Tyler said, pulling out a wooden box and opening it revealing a white polished stone.

"What the hell is that?" She asked.

"It's a moonstone." Tyler admitted.

"What does it do?" Jolene asked him,

"I don't know. But my uncle wants it, and he won't tell me why." Tyler told her.

"What's going on?" Jolene asked him.

"I can't talk about it here." Tyler admitted.

"You wanna get something to eat? There's an IHOP in the next town, they're open 24 hours." Jolene said.

"Okay." Tyler agreed, as he slid the moonstone into pocket.

After they ordered their food, Tyler asked "So why were you so worried when I didn't answer my phone?"

"I've just had a really hard day, and I had to know that you were okay." Jolene said.

"You wanna talk about it?" Tyler asked her.

"You know, just a normal day putting out fires and hiding dead bodies." Jolene said.

"You are really twisted, you know that?" Tyler asked her with a small laugh.

She nodded.

"Come on, Jo. Really… whats going on?" He asked her.

"I've gotten to where I hate Mystic Falls, the town is full of nothing but pain and suffering. I spent the last 3 days with my grandma in North Carolina, and I actually had fun. I put this town behind me and didn't think about it once, then the first day I'm back in this town…" Her voice trailed off.

"What?" He asked, as their waiter brought them their food.

"It just all goes to hell. I know this won't make any sense to you… but I really think Mystic Falls and everyone in it is doomed. I've just got this feeling that I can't shake and it's bad, Ty." Jolene said.

"You're right that makes absolutely no sense to me… but what I'm about to say won't make any sense to you either." He said.

"Go for it, I don't want to be the only crazy person at the table." Jolene said, as she took a bite of her mixed berry pancakes.

"When we were leaving the carnival, this guy picked a fight with me out of nowhere. My uncle jumped in and… I saw his eyes change." Tyler admitted.

"What do you mean?" Jolene asked, her eyes wide.

"They were different colors… they didn't even look human." Tyler admitted.

"Did the skin around them get puckered looking… kind of like dark veins showings under his skin?" Jolene asked.

"No, it wasn't the skin around it his eyes. I'm talking like, his actual eyes full on changed to something I've never seen before." Tyler told her, as he ate his bacon.

"Did you ask him about it?" Jolene asked.

"Oh my god. You really believe me, don't you?" Tyler asked her.

"Yeah. Why shouldn't I? Are you lying?" Jolene asked.

"No, I just… I didn't think anyone would belive me. I sound like a mental patient." He said.

"What did he say when you confronted him?" Jolene asked.

"He tried to play it off like it was nothing… but I know what I saw. And he also jumped super high up into the air. It was like… something from a movie." Tyler told her.

"I don't know what's going on, but I really don't think you should tell anyone else." Jolene told him.

"I'm not going to. You might not think I'm crazy, but everyone else will." Tyler told her.

She nodded.

After they got back to his house, Jolene got out of her car when he did.

"Are you walking me to door?" He asked, with a small laugh.

"I just wanted to tell you… that I think we're going to be okay. Me and you, as friends… you know?" She asked.

"I think so to, Jo." He said smiling.

"It just… it doesn't feel awkward, you know? I was afraid it would because after Damon and I broke up it was always awkward, but I think that just might be because he's an ass and made it awkward." She said.

"Jo… you're rambling." He pointed out, with a raised eyebrow.

"I know, I'm sorry. I was just worried that we might not be able to go back to being friends… but I think we're going to be okay." Jolene said.

"I do to." He said, as he stepped forward and pulled her in for a tight hug.

**((((NEXT MORNING))))**

"Hello?" Jolene asked as she answered her phone.

"Hey… you wanna go for a run?" Tyler asked her.

"I feel like I just went to bed… so I'm going to vote no." Jolene said, as she rolled over in her bed and pulled her blanket up to her chin.

"Let me rephrase… would you like to pretend to come on a run with me and spy on my uncle?" Tyler asked.

"Well, when you put it like that…" Jolene said, as she slowly sat up.

"Oh my god, Tyler. The sun is hardly even up!" Jolene exclaimed.

"I know but he heads out early and we need to be up and ready to follow him." Tyler told her.

"Fine… I'm changing and heading over." Jolene said, as she hung up the phone.

Wearing a pair of short dark green soffe shorts, and the matching dark green sports bra, she pulled on a tight yellow tank top over the sports bra.

She grabbed a light brown jacket as she headed out into the warm morning sun.

Pulling to a stop in front of the Lockwood mansion, Jolene knocked on the door.

"Jolene?" Carol asked surprised.

"Morning." Jolene responded.

"Please, come in." Carol said, stepping to the side.

"Thank you… I'm just meeting with Tyler for an early morning run." Jolene explained.

"I thought you two broke up?" Carol asked as they headed into the study.

"We did… we're just friends now." Jolene said, looking down.

"Oh… I was hoping you would work it out." Carol admitted.

"I miss having you at the house." Carol added in.

"I'll try to come by more." Jolene offered.

She smiled and nodded.

"Ready?" Tyler asked as he popped his head into the study.

"Yeah." Jolene nodded as she pulled her long hair up into a ponytail.

They watched as Mason headed out of the house for his morning run.

The pair stayed a good distance behind Tyler's uncle but close enough so they could follow him.

"Where is he going? What is that?" Jolene asked as they watched Mason follow some brick stairs into the ground.

"It's from the old Lockwood estate… I don't know what's down there though." Tyler told her.

Jolene nodded and then leaned down and held onto her knees. "Why didn't we bring any water to drink?"

Tyler laughed.

"You're out of shape, Proctor." He said, shaking his head.

"Shut up." She said, as she playfully pushed him.

"Shh… there he is." Tyler said, pulling Jolene down in the grass with him, as Mason exited the tunnel and continued his morning jog away from there.

"Let's go." Jolene said as she and Tyler went to the place his uncle had just been.

They both used the light on their cellphones to try and illuminate the dark underground room.

"What the hell is this?" Jolene asked a she rubbed her fingers over some deep scratch marks in the stone walls.

Tyler jumped as some chains that were hanging fell down.

As they both left the underground room Jolene squinted in the sunlight.

"What do you think Mason is up to?" Jolene asked Tyler.

"I don't know… he's hiding something, but I don't know what it is." Tyler admitted.

They jogged back to the house and Jolene's phone rang.

"Hello?" She asked, a little breathless.

"Can you come over?" Stefan asked her.

"Why? What's wrong?" Jolene asked.

"Elena's here and Alaric is on the way…" Stefan told her.

"Umm… yeah, I can head over now." Jolene said hanging up the phone

"Damon?" Tyler questioned.

"Stefan, actually. I gotta go, but let me know if you find anything else about Mason… okay?" Jolene said, before getting in her car

"Do you guys know what time it is?" Jolene asked as she walked into Damon's house.

"Too early… but this is important." Elena said.

"You run here?" Damon questioned seeing her workout clothes.

"No, I just got done going for a morning jog." Jolene said, as she took a seat beside Elena on the couch.

"So what's this about?" Jolene asked.

"That's' what I'm wondering." Alaric said.

"We were hoping you could shed some light on the Lockwood family." Stefan said.

"And seeing as you have such an… intimate connection, maybe you can shed some light too Jolene." Damon said, raising an eyebrow and smirking at her.

Alaric cleared his throat.

"Why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?" Alaric asked.

"Well, you wouldn't, but your dead not-dead vampire wife might." Damon pointed out.

Alaric explained to them that there were also legends of werewolves in Mystic Falls.

"Why do you even suspect the Lockwood's?" Alaric asked them.

"Vervain didn't affect the mayor on Founders Day, but the Gilbert device did. And it affected his son, Tyler." Damon said, glancing over at Jolene.

"And at the school carnival, his uncle Mason exhibited inhuman behavior when he fought one of the carnival workers." Stefan went onto explain.

"What are you hiding?" Damon asked, smiling knowingly at Jolene.

"What are you talking about?" Jolene asked.

"This is all newly learned information for you… and yet you don't look the least bit surprised." Damon pointed out.

"Do you know something?" Elena asked her.

"No." Jolene lied.

"Yes you do." Damon argued.

Jolene rolled her eyes, and listened as they continued to talk.

"Why don't you talk to your boyfriend and see what you can find out." Damon said, his eyes harsh as they looked at Jolene.

She looked down at her lap.

"Damon!" Elena snapped.

"What did I do?" He asked.

"Can you lay off. God, she's been through enough lately." Elena told him.

"Uh, did I miss something?" Damon asked.

"They broke up." Stefan finally admitted, breaking the silence.

"And why am I just now finding out?" Damon asked.

"Point is I've known Tyler my whole life. If he was a werewolf, don't you think I'd know?" Jolene asked.

"Maybe it's some gene or something and skipped him. Maybe it hasn't been triggered yet. But if you know anything we need to know." Stefan urged her.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you." Jolene said.

"She's lying." Damon informed the room.

"Why don't you leave her alone, Damon." Alaric said, looking over at him.

"No it's true… she knows something, but she's not going to tell us because she's almost annoyingly loyal to people she cares about." Damon offered his opinion.

"Annoyingly loyal? Oh I'm sorry, Damon. The next time Bonnie decides to light your ass on fire, I'll just let you burn." Jolene said.

"No you won't." Damon argued.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Damon." Jolene argued back.

"Oh, I am sure." Damon said.

"Okay, you guys cut it out. We need to focus; can you get us into Isobel's office?" Stefan asked Alaric.

He nodded.

"Road trip to Duke!" Damon said.

"I'm not going. I still have to watch out for Caroline, I can't leave her alone for that long." Stefan told them.

"Yeah, I'm not leaving Care either." Jolene said.

**((()))**

"This is really sweet, Jo. But you don't have to be here." Caroline said as Jolene walked beside her as they followed Stefan into the woods.

"I want to be here for you Caroline, you are my best friend. And I'm always going to be here, no matter what." Jolene said.

"But this is more than I could have ever expected or asked. You could be spending your afternoon at Tyler's party. Instead you're in the middle of the woods while I try to find a rabbit to drink." Caroline told her.

"Well, you are my best friend… and I'm annoyingly loyal." Jolene said as she looked around for any sign of rabbits.

"You know better than to listen to Damon." Stefan said, when he heard her repeat what Damon had called her.

She shrugged.

"What's going on?" Stefan asked her.

"Nothing… I'm just exhausted. I was up almost all night at IHOP with Tyler, then less than 4 hours after going to bed he's calling me to go for a morning run. In my defense I did fully intend to go straight home and back to bed, but then you called me." Jolene pointed out.

"You've got to take care of yourself, Jolene." Stefan told her.

"I know." She said nodding.

"No, I really mean it. With Katherine in town, and everything that's going on you have to take care of yourself so that you can be at 100%. You don't know what could be around the next corner." Stefan explained.

She nodded, knowing he was right.

It was over an hour later when Caroline finally found some prey and was able to feed.

"I'm going to go home and change out of these terrible workout clothes I've been wearing, then I'll meet you guys at the watering hole. Okay?" Jolene asked as she headed home.

Changing into a pair of jean short-shorts, and a pink and brown stripped bikini top with a tight dark blue tank top, she was about to leave when there was a knock on her door.

"Mason?" She asked when she opened the door surprised at who it was.

"Jolene, hey… do you have a minute? I wanted to talk to you about something." He said smiling.

"Umm… I was just about to head out, Tyler's throwing this party at…" She began to explain but Mason cut her off.

"At the watering hole. I was headed that way… I could give you a ride." He said pointing to his jeep parked in her driveway.

"Uhh…" She started to protest.

"It's important, Jolene. Please." He said.

"Okay… let me grab my bag." She said as she walked into the house, leaving the door open to see if he could walk in without being invited.

"Nice place." He said, looking around at the high vaulted ceilings.

"Thank you; I'm still not entirely done decorating. I can't seem to find the time." Jolene admitted, as the interior of her house was rather plain.

"It belonged to your mom, correct?" He asked her.

"Mhhmmm." She nodded making sure her phone was charged as she unplugged it from the charger.

"Drained of blood, right?" He asked with an eyebrow raised.

Jolene tried her best to look confused, "Animal attack." She replied.

"Ahh, right." He said as they made their way to the front door.

As he started to drive them towards the party he said, "So I understand you lived with Tyler for a while."

"Yeah, for a few months." She admitted.

"I was wondering if you maybe saw a white polished rock anywhere? Maybe in my brothers study, or tucked away somewhere?" He questioned.

"You went through all this trouble to ask me about a polished rock?" Jolene asked.

"Seems stupid right?" He asked with a laugh.

"I didn't mean it like that. I guess I just don't understand why a stone would be so important." Jolene said, seeing how much she could gather from him.

"Sentimental value, really. It's sort of a family heirloom." He said, trying to cover his real motives.

"What kind of stone is it?" Jolene asked.

"It's called a moonstone." He answered.

"What does it do?" She asked.

"It doesn't do anything." He told her.

"Why are you trying to find it then?" She asked.

"I already told you, sentimental reasons." Mason said.

"Are moonstones even real? I thought they just existed in like…werewolf stories." Jolene said, looking over at him.

Taking his eyes of the road he looked at her with his head slightly cocked to the side.

His lips turned up into a smile slowly, before he looked back at the road. "You ask a lot of questions, Jolene."

"I'm an inquisitive person." She said, glad they were almost at the watering hole.

"Let's stop dancing around the question. Have you seen the moonstone or not?" He asked.

"I haven't seen it. Have you asked Tyler and Carol?" She questioned.

"Yeah, they don't know either." He told her, as he pulled to a stop at the watering hole.

"I think that you should be careful." Jolene said her voice low and serious.

"That kind of sounds like a threat…" He said, amused.

"What? No, I'm trying to warn you… not threaten you." Jolene said, confused how he had taken it as a threat. She just wanted to warn him to watch his back with the way Damon and Stefan had been prying into the Lockwood family history.

"I think you're the one who needs to be careful, Mystic Falls has quite a few secrets…" He said his voice trailing off as Tyler came up to the car.

Jolene got out and walked away as Tyler talked to his uncle for a few moments.

Once Mason had driven away Tyler caught up with her.

"Jo, what the hell were you doing with my uncle?" He asked her confused.

"He came by my house Ty, wanting to know if I had seen the moonstone." Jolene confided.

"Man, what is it with him and that stone?" Tyler thought out loud.

She shrugged.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N**_**- Thank you all for reading! I do hope everyone enjoyed the update!**_

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter. I appreciate your words so much! You guys really do inspire me to keep writing and updating. Happy Holidays!**


	32. Night Visions

**Chapter 32 –Night Visions-**

**((()))(())((()))**

Jolene talked to some people at the party before realizing she had forgotten her purse and phone in Mason's jeep.

"I'll be back, Ty." She said as she walked past him.

"Where are you going?" He asked her.

"I left my purse in your Uncle's jeep." She admitted.

"And you just now realized it? It's starting to get dark…" Tyler said.

"I know… but it's got my phone in it. I saw him drive off this way." Jolene said.

"Be careful." Tyler called after her.

Jolene finally spotted his jeep parked by some trees.

Just as she started to open the passenger door to get her purse, she saw him heading off between some trees.

She decided to not draw attention to herself by opening and shutting a car door. She quietly followed him deeper into the woods.

"What the hell?" She mumbled as she saw him head down in the ruins of the old Lockwood estate.

She stayed hidden behind a tree for a little while debating the risks of following him.

Finally her curiosity got the best of her and she headed down the stairs into the darkness.

"What the hell are you doing down here? You need to leave, now!" Mason yelled as she walked into the room with him.

"What is all of this?" She asked as she saw how he had chained himself up.

"Jolene, this isn't a joke. It's not safe for you down here." He said.

"Tell me what's going on and I'll leave." She argued.

Just then they hear some voices from the ground above them.

Quickly he undid his chains and took off.

Jolene looked around the room trying to make sense of it all.

Finally she knew she had to go after Mason, as she ran from the room she saw Tyler and a girl from their school, Aimee Bradley.

"Uh…" Jolene said, looking back and forth.

"Jo." Tyler said, his eyes wide.

"I have to go." She said, as she started up the stairs.

"Wait, Jo! I'm sorry." Tyler said, following her.

"It's fine, Ty. We're not together, and I'm happy you're moving on… even if it is with Aimee freaking Bradley." Jolene said, rubbing her forehead.

"I just don't want anything to ruin our friendship, Jo. I still really, really care for you." He admitted.

"That's great, Ty." She said, looking around.

"Wait. That's great? Aren't you supposed to say you still care about me?" He asked, confused at her actions.

"I do care about you, and we are still friends. But right now I'm onto something and I have to go." She said, as she turned and ran through the woods. She wasn't sure how she knew witch direction Mason had went, but she just had a gut feeling and followed it.

While Jolene was heading through the woods, she thought about how she wished she had gone with Alaric, Damon and Elena so sew could know what they found out. While she was concentrating on wishing she was there with them, she had to stop running when her eyes got blurry.

Rubbing them she tried to focus, but she felt dizzy and unstable.

Jolene then saw Alaric sitting at a desk, and a girl, Elena and Damon standing around it. The girl she didn't recognize was telling them, "The curse of the sun and moon. It explains one origin of the werewolf curse traced through Virginia."

Jolene stood frozen as her mind continued to play the vision. "Werewolves could only turn on a full moon. When the full moon crests in the sky, who's ever unlucky enough to fall under the werewolf curse turns into a wolf."

After the vision was done, Jolene took in a deep breath it felt as if she hadn't been able to breath for over ten minutes. She realized she must not have breathed through the entire vision she had seen.

She also wasn't even sure if it were a real vision, she didn't know what had just happened.

Finally able to catch her breath, she ran until she found Mason.

"Oh my god… you really are a werewolf, aren't you?" Jolene asked, her voice shaky as Mason yelled and screamed in pain.

"Get out of here!" He screamed, as his fingers dug into the dirt as he started to change into a wolf and managing to get himself into the car.

Jolene stood back as the whole jeep shook and she could continue to hear bones snapping as Mason continued his painful transition under the full moon.

Frozen in fear Jolene slowly backed away from the jeep and behind a tree, as she kicked herself for not getting her purse and phone.

Hearing some twigs break, Jolene peeked around the tree to see Stefan looking at Mason's jeep.

"Stefan!" Jolene whisper yelled.

Walking closer to him she said, "Stefan, you have to run. A werewolf's bite can kill a vampire and mason just changed into a wolf."

Stefan looked in the glass on the back of the jeep.

"Didn't you hear me? There's freaking werewolf in there!" Jolene said.

Just them the glass on the back of his jeep busted and the wolf barreled past them into the woods.

Jolene took off running after the wolf and Stefan followed them.

Jolene stopped, as she had another vision of Tyler coming up from the old Lockwood estate ruin and seeing the wolf.

"Tyler." She breathed out.

"What?" Stefan asked her.

"I have to go." Jolene said, as she turned and sprinted back to where the old Lockwood estate ruins were.

"Tyler!" Jolene yelled, as she neared the open stairway.

"Jo?" Tyler asked coming up from here he was.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

"I'm fine… are you oaky?" He asked her.

"Where's Aimee?" Jolene asked.

"She said she doesn't even like me. Apparently she's into Matt." Tyler informed her.

"That slut." Jolene muttered.

"Whoa, what?" Tyler asked, surprised at her reaction.

"What are you two doing here?" Tyler asked, as he saw Caroline and Stefan emerge from the trees.

"You guys shouldn't be here… this is where he's going to be!" Jolene yelled a warning.

"What are you talking about?" Tyler asked her more confused than before.

"It's your uncle…" Jolene's voice trailed off as she heard low growling approaching them.

In an instant the wolf charged and pinned Caroline to the ground.

"Help me!" Caroline yelled.

Stepping forward Jolene focused her mind on the wolf, it whimpered in pain as it jumped off of Caroline.

Caroline jumped up and ran behind Stefan.

"Oh crap…" Jolene muttered under her breath as the wolf now faced her and showed his teeth as he growled at her.

"Can't you hurt it again?" Stefan asked.

"I'm trying… powers aren't working." Jolene said, her green eyes wide.

The wolf lowered his head and started a predatory stalk forward towards Jolene.

"No!" Tyler yelled, as if he were scolding a dog.

After a few moments the wolf retreated.

"Are you okay?" Tyler asked Jolene.

She nodded.

"Are you bit, Care?" Jolene asked.

"No it didn't bite me." Caroline told her.

"I know you have to make him forget about you and Caroline, but please don't take his memory away of what he saw with his uncle." Jolene pleaded with Stefan after Caroline had left to go talk to Matt.

"You sure you want him to remember all of that?" Stefan asked her.

She nodded.

"It's in his blood, I'm not sure what triggers it… but if it's something that can be helped, Tyler has a right to know. I'm not asking you to spell it out for him. Just don't take those memories away. Please?"

Stefan nodded and walked over to talk to Tyler.

**(((A couple days later)))**

Jolene woke up to the sound of her doorbell.

Grabbing her phone she looked at the time, it was a little after 9am.

"What the hell?" She growled as she threw her blankets off and headed down the stairs. She hadn't planned on getting up until around 11 before going to the historical society volunteer picnic.

"Hey." Tyler said as she opened the door, and he walked right in past her.

"Come on in." Jolene said under her breath as she shut the door behind him.

"Ty… it's really early." Jolene said as she went into the kitchen where he was sitting on the bar side of her kitchen island.

"It's after 9." He said.

"Yeah… but I didn't get to bed until after 5. I think I've managed maybe 10 hours of sleep in the past week. I'm so tired." She admitted.

"You're the only one I can talk to." He explained.

Sighing she nodded.

"What's up?" She asked.

"I want to talk about what happened the other night in the woods." He said.

"I told you it was fine… even if it was Aimee Bradley." Jolene said raising an eyebrow as she grabbed two bottles of water and handed one to him.

"Uh. No not that…" He said.

Jolene nodded.

"I kind of can't believe it's true…" Jolene said.

"You and me both, I finally got him to talk to me though." Tyler explained.

"So... are you going to… you know… turn into a wolf?" Jolene asked.

"No… Uncle Mason said it's a curse that has to be triggered." Tyler said.

"Okay, so how is the curse triggered than?" Jolene asked, listening intently.

"By killing someone." Tyler admitted.

Her green eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah, which might not be a problem for most people… but you know how I am when something makes me mad." Tyler said.

"You're just going to have to fight so hard to keep your anger in check… trust me, you don't want the werewolf curse." Jolene told him.

"And you know this how…?" He asked her, his voice trailing off as he waited for an explanation.

"When I went to get my phone and my purse back, I saw Mason going into the cellar of the old estate and I followed him." Jolene admitted.

"You what?" Tyler asked her.

"I was trying to get to the bottom of what was going on." Jolene said.

"Anyways… he was chaining himself up down there. Then he heard you and Aimee approaching and he took off." Jolene went on to explain.

"I wondered what the hell you were doing down there." Tyler admitted.

"Well, I followed him through the woods. I was outside of his jeep when he crawled inside and turned. Tyler, it was the most painful sounding thing I had ever heard. I mean… full on bones snapping and stuff." Jolene admitted with a shudder.

Tyler was silent before he looked up at her.

"It was really stupid to follow him by yourself, Jo." Tyler told her.

"I know." She admitted nodding.

"You wanna hang out or something today.. I badly need a distraction?" Tyler asked.

"Can't, your mom conned me into volunteering for the historical society park restorations." Jolene reminded him.

"Sucks to be you." Tyler said with a laugh.

"She's your mom, how come I'm the one who has to go?" Jolene asked.

"Because I know how to say 'No' the woman." Tyler reminded her.

"I'll probably be at the grill later on if you can sneak away." Tyler said, as she started to walk him to the front door.

"Hey. Thanks for being there, and being so cool about all this stuff. I think I'd probably be crazy right now if I didn't have anyone to talk to about all of thi." Tyler admitted, as he gave her a hug before leaving.

Once the door was shut and locked behind him, Jolene practically ran up the stairs and jumped back in bed.

Pulling her blue leopard print blanket up to her chin, she finally got warm and comfortable again; she was almost asleep when her alarm went off.

"Why do I even bother?" Jolene asked as she angrily threw the blanket off of her and headed to her closet.

Changing into a pair of jeans and a light blue long sleeved shirt, she quickly ran a brush through her hair and left it wavy as she applied a light coat of make-up and headed back downstairs.

Opening the refrigerator she grabbed a tall can of an energy drink and headed out the door.

Once she made it to the park, Jolene stepped out of the car finishing the last of her energy drink she tossed the empty can back into her car.

"Hey." Stefan said as he walked up to her.

"Morning." Jolene said.

"You okay?" He asked her.

"I'm so tired, it's a wonder I could even see straight to drive here. Again I didn't even manage like 4 hours of sleep." Jolene admitted.

Stefan frowned at her statement.

"Jolene you…" He started to say but she cut him off.

"Take care of myself, yeah I know. But turns out taking care of myself is a lot harder to do with Caroline calling me all the time because she's still freaked out over what happened to her, and trying to be there for Tyler with his new family drama, and Elena kept me up even later last night because she's so upset that you guys have to pre…" She started to say, but stopped when Stefan's eyes widened.

"I mean with you guys on the outs and stuff. She's really upset." Jolene quickly covered her mess up.

"You know?" He questioned.

"Yeah, but Elena didn't tell me." Jolene admitted.

"Then how did you know?" He asked her, looking around to make sure no one was listening to them.

"When I was talking to her and she was so upset, I had this like… vision, or something of you guys coming up with the plan so that Katherine will think it's real and won't go after anyone." Jolene told him.

"Like a psychic vision?" Stefan asked her shocked.

Running her hands through her hair she said, "I don't know what's happening to me, Stefan."

"I don't either." He admitted.

"Jolene! There you are. I was worried you wouldn't make it." Carol said.

Stefan smiled and said hi to Tyler's mom before heading off.

"How could I miss this?" Jolene asked, trying her best to smile.

"Well, I'm all yours. What do you need me to do?" Jolene asked.

"Mason is unloading some boxes… start by helping him with those." Carol said as she motioned to the direction he was.

"Great." Jolene said, her voice revealing her complete distaste for the idea. The last person she wanted to see was Mason.

"Is there a problem?" Carol asked her.

"No, it's fine." Jolene said, not wanting to make her suspicious of anything.

"Okay, maybe after that you can help with some of the painting?" She asked.

"I'll do as much as I can." Jolene said with a small smile.

Jolene headed over to where Mason was just opening the back of his jeep to start unloading boxes.

Jolene walked up him, and didn't say anything as she avoided his eyes and started to slide some boxes out.

"Good morning, Jolene." He said.

"Mason." She greeted.

"You don't like me much, do you?" He asked, smiling.

"You were inches away from ripping me to shreds. Yeah, you could say I don't exactly look at you as a friend." She said, as she slid a few more boxes forward.

"It's a curse… when it's a full moon I have no control. I'll kill anyone and anything who crosses my path. I can't control it." He said, turning sideways and looking at her.

"Yeah, well that doesn't exactly make it water under the bridge." Jolene said.

"Why were you following me anyways?" He asked her as he pulled the coolers from the back of his jeep.

"To see if you were really a werewolf, and because I don't trust you." She admitted, looking him right in the eyes.

He laughed and shook his head.

"What?" Jolene asked him.

"It's just funny that you don't trust me considering your group of friends…" He said.

"What about my friends?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Stefan and Damon Salvatore… I know you have to know what they are." He said, lowering his head as he spoke.

"I know exactly what they are, and I'd still trust them over you any day. You try to come off all friendly and nice, but I don't buy it." She admitted crossing her arms over her chest.

"Maybe I'm just a nice guy." He said, as he took the box she had and stacked it on top of the box he was getting ready to pick up.

"Or maybe you're really hiding something, and maybe you came back to Mystic Falls because you're part of some evil conspiracy." She said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"You have been hanging around vampires far too long… not everyone has a secret agenda. I'm just trying to be here for my family." He told her.

"Mhmm." She hummed disbelievingly.

Jolene looked up to see Stefan walking towards them.

"Stefan right? The other Salvatore?" Mason asked, greeting him.

"The nice one." Stefan clarified.

"Hmm." Mason said, showing he didn't buy a word he was saying.

"It's true." Jolene agreed as she stacked another box on top of Mason's pile.

"The one offering an apology." Stefan said.

"Not interested." Mason told him.

"Look my brother acted impulsively." Stefan apologized.

"You think?" Mason replied sarcastically

"You and Damon keep at each other's throats and somebody innocent is gonna get hurt. I don't want that. You have family here, I can't imagine you'd want that either. So what do you say we just quit the whole alpha-male fighting thing? Just call it a truce?" Stefan offered.

"You know I made that same offer to your brother. He turned it down with a knife." Mason reminded Stefan.

"What?" Jolene asked.

"He made a mistake. And I'm here to make sure that neither of you make another one." Stefan said as he glanced past Mason and Jolene.

"Well tell your brother to watch his back." Mason said as he grabbed his boxes and started to walk past Stefan.

"I'm guessing that he only has to worry about that on a full moon. Otherwise you're not as strong, am I right? Or else you would have killed him by now. There's one of you, and two of us." Stefan pointed out.

"If he comes at me…" Mason said, after a pause.

"He won't." Stefan guaranteed.

After a hand shake, Mason carried his boxes away.

"What does he mean Damon turned him down with a knife?" Jolene asked.

"Word of advice… the whole silver kills werewolf thing is a myth. Doesn't work." Damon said.

Jolene spun around and looked at him.

"You stabbed him with a silver knife?" Jolene asked, her eyes wide.

Damon nodded.

"That's Tylers uncle!" Jolene said.

"I don't care." Damon reminded her.

"Besides weren't you just telling him how you'd trust me any day over him?" Damon asked, with a cocky smile.

"Eavesdropping on me? Really Damon?" She asked shaking her head. Without another word to him she grabbed her boxes and headed off to follow Mason.

After meeting back up with him she said, "Look, I didn't know Damon attacked you. I'm sorry."

"Still trust him?" Mason asked her, as he took the boxes from her.

"More than you… yeah. It doesn't change what I think, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry he did that. Damon doesn't really think a whole lot before reacting… we all know a single bite from a werewolf can kill a vampire." Jolene pointed out.

"And that gives him the right to stab me after I tried to make peace?" Mason asked.

"That's not what I meant. He probably just sees you as a threat, you know like shoot now ask questions later… he's used to feeling invincible and when he found out you could be dangerous…" Her voice trailed off.

Mason scoffed. "It seems like Damon has a lot of people apologizing for him."

"Look, I can get the rest of the boxes by myself. Thanks for your help." He said, as he walked away.

After talking to Carol again, Jolene headed over to help with the flowers some volunteers were planting.

"The purple flowers go on that side of the walkway and the blue on the other side." Jolene instructed the other volunteers.

"God why did I agree to this?" Jolene mumbled as she rubbed her tired eyes.

"Because you're always trying to help everyone." Damon said.

"I hate it when you just show up out of nowhere." Jolene muttered as she walked away.

"Can you stop walking away from me for a minute?" He said as he followed her.

"What Damon?" She asked stopping.

"I know what I said hurt you the other day." He said, looking at her.

"I'm kinda busy right now." Jolene said, but she didn't walk away.

"I'm trying to say I'm sorry for what I said." He told her.

"Well you should apologize… you called me annoyingly loyal and you know as well as I do if I weren't like that you could very well be dead." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

A girl carrying a tray of flowers walked by and looked at them a little strange.

"Maybe we can talk somewhere else." He said.

Nodding she grabbed a trashcan and headed a little ways into the woods.

Once they were out of earshot of others, he said "You're right."

"I know I am." Jolene said, as she started to pick up some of the trash from the renovations.

"You don't make it easy to apologize…" Damon pointed out.

"I'm tired, Damon." She admitted.

"In what sense?" He asked, wondering if she meant she was tired of him.

"In all senses. I'm honestly exhausted! But on an emotional level too." She said.

"When did you and Tyler call it quits?" Damon asked her.

"The night you snapped Jeremy's neck." Jolene admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked her.

"Like it would have mattered Damon… you were upset and when you get that way there is no reasoning with you." She told him.

"I am sorry, Jolene. If I could take it back, I would." He told her.

"Don't you see a pattern here? You do something unforgivable and then apologize, I forgive and all is right in the world for a day or so. Until you do something else. Don't you think it would be a lot easier if you just stopped trying to kill people?" She asked.

"Maybe." Damon admitted with a half-smile.

Her phone played it's text message tone from her pocket, taking it out she saw it was Tyler.

"Who was that?" Damon asked as she typed a reply and sent it.

"Tyler." She admitted.

"I thought you broke up?" He asked.

"We did." Jolene said.

"Trying the friends thing?" He asked.

"We're actually really good at being friends." Jolene answered as she picked up some more plastic from the woods.

"Didn't pan out so well for us." Damon reminded her.

"Do you know why Tyler broke up with me?" Jolene asked, stopping her cleanup.

"I thought you'd broke up with him." Damon said.

"It was kind of mutual, but he initiated it. He broke up with me because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to control his anger and I could get hurt. He didn't want to, but he did because he really cared about me." Jolene told him.

Damon was silent as he raised an eyebrow wondering what she was getting at.

"Sometimes you have to put others before yourself, Damon. It's a skill you haven't acquired yet." Jolene said.

"Not true." Damon argued.

"Really? Because it wasn't too long ago that I literally had jump in front of Caroline to keep you from driving a stake through her heat." Jolene told him.

"And I explained to you why." Damon told her.

"Because she knows about you and Stefan, and you were afraid she could out you. That's selfish, you were willing to kill my best friend. Imagine how her mom would have felt, losing her only daughter. Did you even stop for one minute to think about that?" She asked him.

"No." He admitted.

"Of course you didn't… because you're too busy coming up with your next scheme." Jolene pointed out.

"Caroline could have outed us, one mistake on her part everyone knows vampires are in town. Can you not see the risk in it?" He asked her.

"What if it was me?" Jolene asked, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"What?" He asked her confused.

"I was in the hospital with your blood in my system, Damon. Who's to say that if I had stayed another night Katherine wouldn't have killed me to deliver her message instead of Caroline? Would you have even thought for a minute about killing me?" She asked.

"No." He answered her immediately.

"Because you care about me, Damon." Jolene said, nodding.

"You already knew that." Damon reminded her.

"I need you to understand that your actions affect me. How can I ever be with you if I always have to worry about you killing my friends?" Jolene asked.

Before he had time to answer she continued.

"I am trying so hard to keep a balance here. I've got some really freaky witch stuff going on that I don't understand my best friend is a new vampire, Bonnie's mad at me for stopping her from killing you, Tyler just found out that his uncle is a werewolf, Elena's upset over her and Stefan. Everyone is depending on me and I'm doing the best that I can to keep it all under control and not lose my damn mind." Jolene said, her eyes honest and tired as she spoke.

"So everyone is leaning on you? Who do you have to lean on then?" Damon asked her.

"I don't have anyone." Jolene admitted as she turned and went to stuff the trash further into the trashcan to make more room.

Damon grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"That's not true." He told her.

"Isn't it? Because I feel so alone." Jolene admitted, feeling tears sting her eyes but she quickly blinked them back.

"You're not alone… you've got me." Damon said, his voice soft as their faces were only inches apart.

Jolene's breath caught in her throat as she looked into his eyes, she tried to keep from looking down at his lips. But she couldn't help it, and slowly her eyes traveled down to his mouth. She remembered how those lips felt against hers, and she missed it.

As much as she had tried to hate him for everything he had done, she missed him.

The sounds of the music and all the bustle from the volunteer picnic and the park faded away and she felt like they were the only two people for miles and miles.

Seeing his eyes move down to her lips she knew he wanted to kiss her too, and as he brought his face closer to hers she knew she should fight it. But she didn't, and the second their mouths joined it felt like they had never been apart.

Every emotion and every ounce of love they had for each other came flooding back. She raised her arms up, holding onto his head and neck as she pulled him even closer and pushed her body against his.

He ran his hands down her sides, until he grabbed firmly onto her hips and kept her body tight against his.

Neither of them knew how long had passed when their moment was interrupted.

"Jo? Are you out here? Oh my god…" Elena said as she stumbled upon them.

Jolene quickly stepped back from Damon, but she knew Elena had already seen them.

"Uh… Mrs. Lockwood is looking for you. She needs you to take a group of volunteers into the woods for clean-up. But it looks like you already got a head start…" Elena said, looking back and forth at them.

"Okay." Jolene said, as she followed Elena out of the woods without looking back at Damon.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked once they were out of the woods.

"I don't know." Jolene said, avoiding her friends' judgmental stare.

"Jo… he killed Jeremy." Elena reminded her.

"I know…" Jolene said, nodding.

"He admitted that he didn't see the ring." Elena said.

"I know and I know you hate him for it." Jolene sympathized.

"Then what was that all about?" Elena asked her.

Looking back she saw Damon walking out from the woods.

"I can't hate him…" She admitted.

"Look at all the pain he's caused…" Elena tried to reason with her friend.

"I still love him, Elena." Jolene said, as she tucked some of her dark red hair behind her ear.

**((()))(())((())**

**A/N- Thank you for reading! I really hope everyone liked the chapter! ^_^**

**Please take a few moments to leave a couple lines in a review, and let me know that you're still reading. You're kind words and support are what keeps me writing and updating, and I've been working so hard to update this story weekly. **


	33. Started Out as a Bit of Fun

**Chapter 33 –Started Out as a Bit of Fun-**

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"Hey guys." Jolene said as she walked over some large flat rocks by the water's edge at the park.

Caroline and Elena both greeted her.

"Whats wrong with you?" Caroline asked as Jolene sat down beside her and pulled her knees up to her chin.

"I'm hiding from Tyler's mom… she keeps putting me to work. I know I volunteered for this, but I think I've done enough work to earn a paycheck." Jolene admitted.

Caroline laughed.

"Is that all?" Elena questioned, looking past Caroline to Jolene.

Jolene stayed silent as she looked out over the rippling top of the lake.

Looking back and forth between her friends Caroline said, "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Jolene and Elena said at the same time.

"What happened?" Caroline asked her eyes wide.

Jolene sighed.

"I kissed Damon." She admitted, keeping her eyes on the water that was sparkling in the sun.

"What? When?" Caroline asked.

"Not too long ago." Jolene said, finally looking over to her friend.

"Well, I mean it's not that big of a surprise." Caroline said.

"What do you mean?" Jolene asked.

"I told you a while ago that I think he could be your one. I still think it…" Caroline said her voice trailing off.

"Knowing everything that you know now, how can you still say that?" Jolene asked.

Caroline was silent as she looked at Jolene.

"Where's your mom going, Care?" Jolene asked, seeing the Sherriff on her phone and leaving the picnic.

"I don't know." Caroline answered as she got up and headed off to talk to her mom.

Jolene stood up to follow her.

"Jo…" Elena said as she followed her.

"What?" Jolene asked, not turning to face her.

"I'm sorry I kind of freaked out on you… I'm just, I don't think I'll ever get over seeing him snap Jeremy's neck." Elena admitted.

"I understand that… but honestly Elena, you're kind of being a hypocrite." Jolene said.

"Whoa, what?" Elena asked, stopping.

Jolene turned around and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I am nothing but understanding and empathetic to everyone! I try so hard to keep things from falling apart, and I'm doing the best I can under impossible circumstances. You want to judge me for kissing Damon because he's done something unforgivable…" Jolene said, pausing to take a deep breath.

"You weren't out in the woods with me and Stefan that day… he straight up looked me in the eyes and told me that he wanted to kill me. He damn neared did kill me, Elena. Did I judge you for still loving him even after he tried to kill me? No, I didn't. In fact I seem to recall being the one to keep him from killing himself over it!" Jolene said.

Elena's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry." Elena said, her words sincere as she processed what Jolene had just told her.

"Something's wrong…" Caroline said as she met back up with her friends and interrupted them.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked.

"I don't know… come on." Caroline said.

Both Elena and Jolene followed her into the woods.

The trio ran, until Caroline stopped suddenly.

"What is it?" Jolene asked, stopping and looking at her friend.

"They've been here…" Caroline said, as she knelt down and looked at some blood on a plant.

"What are you doing out here?" Mason asked, walking out from behind some trees.

"Have you seen Stefan?" Elena asked him.

"Yeah Elena I've seen him." Mason responded.

Then looking at Jolene he said, "I've seen Damon too."

"Where are they?" Jolene asked.

"You don't need me for that… I'll let your friend here sniff them out." Mason said pointing to Caroline.

She shifted uncomfortably as he looked at her.

"Does your mother know what you are?" He asked, looking at Caroline. "I'd be happy to tell her." He finished.

In an instant Mason had Elena in a position where it would be easy to snap her neck.

Caroline and Jolene both started to lunge forward.

"Don't be stupid. Necks snap easy around here." Mason said.

Elena gasped and tried to squirm out of his arms but he kept his hold tight on her.

"I can take you." Caroline said.

"Wanna bet?" Mason asked, seemingly amused at her.

"Yeah, I do." Caroline said, before knocking him away from Elena with lightning fast speed.

As Caroline pinned him against a tree, Jolene rushed to Elena's side.

"Are you okay?" Jolene asked.

"Yeah." Elena said.

"Come on." Caroline said after she had incapacitated Mason.

Elena and Jolene ran after her.

The girls stumbled upon the cellar left on the Lockwood property.

"What's down there?" Elena asked.

"It's the ruins from the old Lockwood estate." Jolene informed them.

"They're down there…" Caroline said, before her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand.

"What?" Jolene asked.

"My mom… she's killing them." Caroline said.

"What?" Elena gasped as her and Jolene started to head down the stairs.

"No, I can't. She's gonna find out about me." Caroline said, her eyes wide from the fear of her mom knowing what she was.

"Then stay out here." Jolene said, before rushing down the stairs.

"Come on." Jolene whispered to Elena as she opened a squeaky metal gate, and led them deeper into the underground rooms.

"What is that?" They heard Caroline's mom say.

Jolene and Elena both backed up against opposite sides of the door frame just outside the room where everyone was.

"Go check it out." Liz instructed one of the cops.

Looking down at the ground, Jolene picked up a plank of wood. When the cop started to pass through the doorway between them Jolene hit him hard on the back of the head, effectively knocking him to the ground.

Elena looked at her wide eyed. "Go." Jolene said as she jumped over the cop and into the room.

Immediately the girls were met with a gun pointed at them.

"Elena? Jolene? What are you doing here?" Sherriff Forbes asked.

"You can't kill them!" Jolene yelled.

"We're not gonna let you." Elena finished.

The officer that Jolene had knocked down pushed both girls farther into the room and kept his gun pointed at them.

Then the door the room slammed shut.

"Who else is with you?" Liz asked them.

Elena and Jolene exchanged looks.

In an instant Caroline had taken out of all the cops in the room other than her mom.

"Hi mom." Caroline said stepping forward as blood ran from her chin.

Elena sat with Stefan as he was in pain from the gunshots.

Jolene sat down by Caroline and watched as Damon drank from the dead officers.

"You need to drink some deputy blood." Damon said to Stefan.

"No. I'll be fine, I'm just gonna take a little bit longer." Stefan told him.

"Damon's right…if there was ever a time to break your diet this is it." Caroline told him.

"He said he didn't want it, okay?" Elena defended him.

"But…" Caroline started to argue.

"You didn't see him the last time he fell off the wagon." Jolene said, looking to her friend.

After getting back to his feet, Damon looked around and said "This is a most unfortunate situation. Two deputies dead… and you. What am I gonna do with you?" He said, turning his attention to Liz.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Caroline said, looking to her mom.

Liz didn't respond and would hardly look at her daughter.

"Mom? Look, I know that we don't get along and that you hate me but I'm your daughter and you'll do this for me, right? Mom please, he will kill you." Caroline said.

"Then kill me… I can't take this." Liz said, a few tears slipping down her cheeks as she looked over to her daughter.

When Damon pinned the Sherriff to the wall everyone yelled no.

"Damon, please!" Caroline pleaded.

Jolene jumped to her feet beside her friend.

"Relax guys. No one's killing anybody." Damon said looking back to everyone.

"You're my friend." Damon said to Liz.

Looking back at the room he said, "We gotta clean this up."

**(((Later at the Salvatore house)))**

Jolene put some blankets and pillows on the cot in the room in their basement, as Damon watched Liz call into work for the next couple of days.

"I brought you some blankets and pillows… if you need more just let me know." Jolene said, looking at Caroline's mother.

"It's not exactly the Ritz, but it's secure." Damon said.

"Once the vervain has worked its way out of your system, I will compel you. You will forget everything and be a free woman." Damon explained.

"Just keep Caroline away from me, please. I don't want to see her." Liz told them.

"She's your daughter." Jolene said.

"Not anymore. My daughter is gone." Liz said, not looking up at them.

"No she isn't." Jolene said.

Damon nodded, "You don't know how wrong you are about that."

Jolene headed upstairs and sat down beside Caroline on the couch as she explained to Elena how Katherine had been having her spy on Elena and Stefan.

"I'm scared to go home." Caroline admitted.

"You can come stay with me." Jolene told her.

"Really?" Caroline asked through her tears.

Jolene and Caroline headed to the door.

"Leaving so soon?" Damon asked as he walked up to them.

Caroline looked between them.

"I'm gonna wait in your car, Jo." Caroline said as she let herself out of the door.

"Thank you for what you're doing for Caroline's mom." Jolene said, her words honest as she looked at him.

He nodded.

"Jo…" He started to say, but she cut him off.

"I need to get Caroline home, she's going to stay with me till this thing with her mom is taken care of." Jolene explained.

"Okay." Damon said, understanding how tired she was from everything.

He opened the door for her and she was halfway out when she stopped and turned around.

Pressing a gentle kiss to his lips, she said "Goodnight, Damon."

"Night." He whispered back, and watched her as she walked to her car, and left.

**(((The next morning.)))**

"Can we stop and check on my mom before heading over to decorate for the masquerade ball?" Caroline asked as Jolene applied her last coat of mascara.

"Sure." Jolene said nodding.

As the girls headed to the kitchen, Jolene opened the refrigerator to get another energy drink because she still felt drained.

"Uh…" Jolene said as she saw a shelf full of blood bags.

"Sorry... took some of Damon's supply; I need to feed regularly to control the cravings." Caroline told her.

"I guess I should have asked before I put them in your fridge." Caroline said.

"It's fine… but uh let's put them in a drawer so they're just not out in the open." Jolene said as she moved them into a drawer in the bottom of her refrigerator.

"Thanks for being so cool about this." Caroline said, smiling.

"Hey… no problem. I guess it only makes sense with all my vampire friends to keep blood bags on hand, huh?" Jolene joked as she grabbed the can of energy drink.

"I mean it… If you weren't so calm about all of this... I don't know what I'd do. You're a really good friend." Caroline said.

"Thank you." Jolene said.

"You're welcome… but why are you thanking me?" Caroline asked confused.

"For being appreciative. I've been dealing with a lot of crap lately and it's just nice to know someone has noticed." Jolene admitted.

After they got to the Salvatore house, Caroline held up the bag of fast food breakfast they had gotten. "I'm going to take my mom her breakfast."

"Okay." Jolene said.

Jolene drank down more of her energy drink and sat the can down on the edge of the coffee table.

"Still not sleeping?" Damon questioned, as he looked at the can.

"Uh... well, I think I might have slept a whole 5 hours so a little better than I had been averaging. I'm still just exhausted." Jolene admitted.

"I would have slept longer, but I have to help set up for the masquerade ball. I've got to stop volunteering for this crap." Jolene said, shaking her head.

"Stefan's already there." Damon informed her.

Hearing a knock on the door Damon went to see who it was.

Jolene heard Jeremy say, "I need to talk to you."

"And when I need to talk to you…" Damon replied as he tried to shut the door in Jeremy's face.

"Tyler has to kill someone to activate his curse. He's not a werewolf yet." Jeremy said.

"How the hell do you know that?" Jolene asked, stepping beside Damon at the door.

"He told me." Jeremy said.

"And why did he tell you?" Jolene asked with an eyebrow raised.

"He found out I knew about the werewolf curse." Jeremy informed her.

"But Mason is a werewolf and he's looking for a moonstone." Jeremy told them.

"Ugh. I know right, he's incessant over it." Jolene agreed.

Damon looked over at her.

"That's why he's here, it's a special rock connected to the werewolf legend." Jeremy continued.

"And you're bringing me this, why?" Damon asked him.

"Do I need a reason? I just want to help, okay." Jeremy told him.

"And you think you're helping by digging up dirt on Tyler?" Jolene asked.

"It's not like that." Jeremy said, looking at her.

"He's a Gilbert. He can't help himself." Damon said, glancing over to her.

"Wow. Your search for life's purpose is as obvious as it is tragic." Damon told him.

"You gonna let me in or not?" Jeremy asked.

Stepping to the side Damon let him in the house.

"Damon!" Jolene exclaimed disapprovingly.

He shrugged and shut the door behind him.

"Ready?" Caroline asked emerging from the basement.

"Uhh… can you just tell Mrs. Lockwood that I'm not feeling good and I don't think I'll be able to help today?" Jolene asked looking at her.

"But you're my ride." Caroline said.

Pulling her keys from her pocket she tossed them to Caroline.

**(((())))(())((()))**

**A/N _- I hope you all liked the update! Thank you for reading._**

_**I also want to thank everyone who has subscribed for updat alert and/or added me or my stories to your favorites! ^_^**_

**Please take the time to leave me a review and let me know if you liked the chapter, and if you're still reading this story. Your kind words and continued support really keep me motivated and inspire me to keep writing for this story. I've been doing pretty good with updating weekly (every sunday), so please leave me a few lines to let me know you're still reading. ^_^**


	34. Switching Sides

**Chapter 34 –Switching Sides-**

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"Ric." Damon said as Alaric walked in the house with a box.

"What are you doing here?" Alaric asked when he saw Jeremy.

"Sticking his nose where it doesn't belong… typical little brother." Jolene answered.

"Shut up, Jo." Jeremy said shooting her a look.

"I'm helping Damon, I'm the one who found out about the moonstone." Jeremy said.

"No, you're one who decided to go running your mouth about the moonstone." Jolene corrected.

"Seriously? What is your problem today?" Jeremy asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're my problem Jeremy, you're meddling in things that you cannot begin to understand." Jolene said, her voice slightly raised.

"If you've known about the moonstone longer than me, how come you never told anyone?" Jeremy asked her.

"Because Tyler trusts me… do you not realize the rate at which people die in this town?" Jolene asked.

"What are you saying?" Jeremy asked her.

"You know Mason is going to be dead soon, right? A bite from a werewolf is fatal to a vampire." Jolene informed him.

"So you're just going to kill him?" Jeremy asked, looking around the room.

"And for a few other reasons." Damon said.

"You can't just kill him." Jeremy argued.

"Yes, I can." Damon said.

"But…" Jeremy started to say, but Jolene cut him off.

"You're the one who wanted in on this." Jolene said.

"What do you have?" Damon asked as Alaric sat the box down on the table.

"This is Isobel's research from Duke. Her assistant sent it to me." He informed them.

"You remember the Aztec curse she told us about?" Alaric asked Damon.

He nodded.

"Yeah." Jolene said.

Damon looked over at her, "No you don't" He said.

"Yes, I do." She answered.

"The sun and the moon curse. Back in the day werewolves and vampires roamed freely, until a curse was placed on them. Now werewolves can only turn on a full moon and vampires are affected by the sun." Jolene filled in.

"How do you know that?" Alaric asked her.

"What do you mean? I…" Her voice trailed off, realizing she had just let it slip about her vision.

"I saw it, okay. It's not a big deal." Jolene answered.

"Not a big deal? You're having visions now and it's not a big deal?" Damon asked her.

"According to the legend the werewolf part of the curse is sealed with the moonstone." Alaric told everyone.

"What do you mean sealed?" Jeremy asked, taking a paper from Alaric.

"It's a witch thing. Whatever seals the curse is the key to unsealing the curse. Right Jolene?" Damon asked, smirking as he looked over at her.

"You're a witch?" Jeremy asked, his eyes wide as he looked at her.

"You didn't figure that out already?" Damon asked him.

"I mean… that night at the carnival I knew something was up. But I didn't know you're witch." He said.

"Yeah, well welcome to the inner circle. Next step, learn to keep your mouth shut." Jolene said, still angered at him for exposing anything about Tyler's family to Damon.

"Mason might believe he can use the stone to break the curse." Alaric thought out loud.

"If we start believing in some supernatural witchy-woo legend from a picture book we're a bunch of idiots." Damon said, looking at them.

"Who has the stone now?" Damon asked.

Everyone shrugged.

"Jolene?" Damon asked.

"You know… maybe I should head over to help set up for the ball. I did volunteer after all." Jolene said as she started for the front door.

Racing around in front of her Damon blocked her path.

"Who has the stone?" He asked.

"You can't hurt him." Jolene said, her eyes pleaded with him.

"So, we know Tyler has the stone." Damon informed the rest of the room as he looked at Jolene from the corner of his eye as he walked past her back into the room.

**(((At the set up for the masquerade ball)))**

Jolene was helping decorate when Caroline found her.

"Hey, you made it." She said.

"Yeah, I made it." Jolene responded looking around.

"Do you care if I use your car again? I kind of just want to go check on my mom." Caroline admitted.

"Yeah, it's fine. " Jolene agreed.

Heading off to find Damon she stopped when she saw him and Stefan talking.

Quietly, she got close enough to listen.

"Katherine is with Mason Lockwood?" Damon asked Stefan.

"He got into town right after she did, it makes perfect sense. We just missed it." Stefan explained.

"She's using him… but for what?" Damon thought out loud.

"Mason Lockwood is looking for a moonstone that allegedly can break the full moon werewolf curse. Maybe Katherine wants it as well." Damon said.

"Why?" Stefan asked.

"How are we going to find this moonstone?" Stefan asked.

"Tyler has it." Damon informed him.

"So how are you going to get it from Tyler?" Stefan asked.

"I'm not going to…" He said his voice trailing off.

Jolene watched as he took out his phone and dialed a number. Seconds later her phone rang loudly from her jeans pocket.

_Damn it, _she muttered as both Stefan and Damon looked over at her.

"It's not nice to spy…" Damon told her.

"And it's not nice to use me against my other friends." Jolene said as she joined them on the porch.

"This is important, Jo. If Katherine is using Mason to get that stone than we need to be one step ahead. You think if she finds out Tyler has that stone she won't rip him apart to get it?" Damon asked her.

Jolene looked over to Stefan, who frowned but nodded.

"I hate this!" Jolene called over her shoulder as she headed out to where Matt and Tyler were hanging lantern lights.

"I'm going to get an extension cord." Matt said as he walked off.

"Hey Ty." Jolene said, walking up to Tyler.

"Hey! My mom said you weren't going to make it today." Tyler said, as he walked over to a table.

"Yeah, I was kinda sick earlier but I'm feeling better." Jolene said.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Jolene asked him.

"Sure… whats up?" He asked her.

"It's nothing major, just wondering if you found out why your uncle wanted that moonstone so bad?" Jolene asked.

"Nope, he still says it's a family thing that belonged to his mom. I still think he's up to something though." Tyler said.

"Me too, any ideas?" Jolene asked him.

"No and I'm staying clear of all of it." Tyler told her.

"What? Why?" Jolene asked.

"The last time you followed and spied on him, you almost got yourself killed." Tyler pointed out.

Jolene glanced over her shoulder to where Stefan and Damon were standing a ways back listening to their conversation.

"You've still got the moonstone, right?" Jolene asked him.

"No, I gave it to Uncle Mason." Tyler admitted.

"What? Why?" Jolene asked, her eyes wide.

"Because I am done with legends and curses. I don't want anything to do with it anymore." Tyler told her.

"I understand." Jolene said, nodding as she looked back at Damon.

Catching them glancing at each other Tyler sighed.

"So… you're hanging around Damon more." Tyler observed.

"I… uh…" Her voice trailed off knowing Damon was listening to them made her feel awkward.

"Can we not talk about this?" Jolene asked, shifting her weight uncomfortably.

"I mean it's fine… I'm not mad or anything." Tyler said, but his jaw was tense.

"Yes you are." Jolene said, giving him a half but weak smile.

"Well, I'm trying not to be." Tyler admitted.

"The guys a creep, Jo." Tyler said.

"Are we really back to that?" She asked.

He was silent.

"Friends let friends make their own decisions, and support them." Jolene pointed out.

"Decisions? So you've made a decision? You're back with him? Don't you think it's a little soon?" Tyler asked.

"No… Ty." Jolene said, glancing over her shoulder and seeing that Damon was still watching and listening to them.

"I'm still dealing with what happened to us, and as for moving on quickly do I need to remind you about Aimee Bradley?" Jolene asked.

The vein showed in Tyler's forehead as he was trying to keep his anger in check.

"Look, things have been good with us… let's try to not screw this up, okay?" She said, placing a hand on his arm.

Calming down some he nodded.

"You're right. I'm sorry." He said.

"You better get back to hanging those lights before your mom comes out here." Jolene said with a small laugh.

"Yeah. I'll see you later." He said, as he went back to decorating.

Jolene walked away from him and around the side of the house, a few moments later Damon and Stefan followed her.

"What now?" Jolene asked, looking at them.

They exchanged looks.

"I already don't like this idea." Jolene mumbled.

"We need you to use your witchy powers on Mason." Damon informed her.

"Absolutely not." Jolene said.

"All I need you to do is work some of your witchy juju like the thing you've done to me. You know, the one where my brain feels like its burst into flames." Damon said.

"Witchy juju? Are you really talking to me like that?" Jolene asked taking a step back.

"Don't be so sensitive. It's not like I'm asking you to kill him." Damon pointed out.

"You might as well be. I know how this works Damon… you want me to incapacitate him so you can get the info you need, then he's going to wind up dead." Jolene said.

Damon looked around to make sure no one was listening.

"I need your help." Damon said.

"I'm sorry." Jolene said.

"Why are you trying so hard to go against everything I say?" Damon asked her.

"Because you are putting me in an impossible situation, Damon. You're asking me to aid in the murder of Tyler's uncle. When Tyler brings Mason up, I'll have to look him in the eyes and lie… say that I have no idea what happened to him." Jolene said, shaking her head.

"It's one little lie." Damon said, downplaying the situation.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don't like lying to people, especially my friends?" She asked, brushing some hair from her face as the wind blew.

"Well, from what I hear you used to do it all the time." Damon said, bringing up her days of drug use.

"Wow." Jolene said, shaking her head.

"That's not what I meant." Damon said, taking a step towards her.

"I understand how important it is for us to stay one step ahead of Katherine… but just because you need something from me doesn't give you the right to talk to me like that. Especially not after all I've already helped you with." Jolene told him.

"I'm sorry… but I just need your help on this one thing. It's not just me in danger; it's you and your friends too." Damon tried to reason with her.

"Do you really think this is still up for discussion?" Jolene asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Are you just not hearing me or what? This is more important than having to lie to Tyler…" Damon argued.

"No, actually it isn't. Because my friends are the only things I have… and Tyler has helped me more than all of them." Jolene said.

"Then help save your friends by helping me." Damon urged.

"No, I'm not going to help you with your evil schemes any longer, Damon." Jolene said as she turned and waked away.

She passed Stefan who was heading back to them after talking to Elena on the phone.

"What's wrong?" Stefan asked her.

She didn't answer just kept walking.

"Jo?" Stefan asked.

"I need to find someone to take me home, Caroline still has my car." Jolene said.

"What happened?" Stefan asked her.

"I'm an idiot!" Jolene said as she kept walking.

"Jo?" Stefan questioned.

"I'm an idiot for starting to think that maybe I could get things to work with Damon again. He's so selfish and he doesn't care who he has to hurt to accomplish what he needs done. I can't do this; I can't help with these kinds of things and still be able to sleep at night. I've spent so long and worked so hard to get where I am today, and I fight every single day to keep myself on track. But a few days of being around him and all I want to do is…" Her voice trailed off and she swallowed the lump that had built in her throat.

"Okay." Stefan nodded.

"It's okay, we'll find another way. Damon will get over it." Stefan offered as he put his hand on her arm.

"That thing that I do where it makes it feel like your brain is on fire… I copied the trick from Bonnie when I saw her try to use it on Katherine." Jolene admitted.

"How can you copy a spell like that?" He asked her.

"I don't know. I also don't know how it didn't affect her when Bonnie did it, or how when I tried it got to her." Jolene said before taking a deep breath.

"Maybe if Bonnie knows that we're all in danger, you might be able to convince her to help you guys. If not I'm sorry." Jolene said as she looked behind her to make sure Damon hadn't followed her.

"Thank you." Stefan said.

Jolene looked for any of her friends in the crowd of volunteers.

"Matt… did you drive here?" Jolene asked as she grabbed onto the sleeve of his shirt.

"Yeah." He said, confused.

"Can you please give me a ride home? Caroline has my car… and I have to get out of here." Jolene said, looking behind her to see that Damon was standing on the edge of the porch watching her.

Matt followed her gaze.

"Yeah, let's go." He said.

Sitting in the passenger seat of Matt's truck Jolene rolled down the window and let the warm air swirl around them.

Matt looked over at her, as she wiped some tears from her eyes and rubbed her hands on her jeans.

"You want to talk about it?" He asked her, concerned.

"Not really." Jolene admitted, as she wiped a few more tears away.

Pulling into the driveway at her new house, he watched her as she pulled a spare house key from the zippered pocket on the back of her wallet.

"You gonne be okay?" He asked, worried about her.

"Maybe." She answered, as she slid her wallet back in her purse.

"I know we haven't talked a whole lot lately… but you know I'm here if you need me, right?" Matt asked her.

She managed a weak smile.

"I know, thanks for everything Matt." She said as she slid out of the seat and shut the truck door heading up to her door.

Once inside she closed all the blinds and curtains in her house, blocking out as much of the sun as possible.

The darkest curtains were in her bedroom; once she shut them her room was almost dark.

Taking out her phone she called Caroline.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hey Care, how is everything?" Jolene asked.

"Well, she's talking to me." Caroline said.

"That's a step up from yesterday." Jolene offered her tone hopeful.

"How are things at the preparation for the ball?" She asked.

"I wouldn't know, I had Matt give me a ride home. Damon and I got into a fight." Jolene admitted

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked.

Jolene pinned her eyes shut to keep the tears in.

"I'm just really tired and I'm going to shut my phone off and catch up on my sleep, I think I'll feel a lot better if I just crash for a while." Jolene said, but her voice cracked a little.

"Okay, do you need me to do anything?" Caroline asked.

"No, are you staying here tonight?" Jolene asked.

"I don't know yet, probably." Caroline admitted.

"Okay that's fine there's a house key on my car keys, just let yourself in. But hey, if you decide you're not staying here tonight, just drop my car off and leave the keys in the mailbox, please." Jolene said.

"Okay, you get some rest and call me if you need anything." Caroline assured her.

"I will." Jolene said as she hung up the phone.

Shutting her cellphone off she dropped it with a loud thud on her bedside table.

Grabbing the box of tissues by her phone she turned on her side and wiped her eyes crumpling the used tissue up and dropping it on the other side of the large bed.

She wasn't sure why she was so upset, much worse things had happened lately than the fight she had just had with Damon.

But with everything had that been happening lately she had been pushed the brink of being able to cope with it all.

Now completely alone in her dark room, she finally just let her tears go, as she cried herself to sleep.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N- **_**Thank you for reading! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**_

_**Earlier today I updated another Vampire Diaries story, it's a colbaertation between myself and Miss E Charlotte. Things are starting to pick up with it even though we are only 4 chapters in.**_

_**I'd really love it if you'd take the time to check it out and let us know what you think. ^_^**_

**Thank you so much to everyone who added this story to their favorites and subscribed for alerts! I've really been working hard to update every Sunday. ^_^**

**Please take a few moments and leave me a review, let me know if you're still reading and enjoying the story. Your kind words mean the world to me! You guys truly are my inspiration to keep writing and updating! ^_^**


	35. Curse of the Moon

**Chapter 35 –Curse of the Moon -**

**((()))(())((()))**

It was only a few hours later that Jolene woke up, she sat up on the side of her bed and immediately grabbed her phone.

She woke up with a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was wrong.

It felt like it took centuries for her phone to boot up when she turned it on. Finally it showed she had a voicemail.

"Jo, it's Caroline. Your car is back in the driveway, keys in the mailbox like you asked. I got my mom home, and she's doing okay. But I just got off the phone with Elena. Katherine compelled Jenna to stab herself... They think she's going to make a full recovery. I just wanted to fill you in." Jolene hung up the phone and hung her head in her hands.

The next time Jolene woke up after getting few more hours of sleep.

"Good you're awake." Caroline said.

Jolene looked over to where Caroline was standing against the wall.

"What's going on?" Jolene asked.

Caroline explained that she had a run in with Katherine and that if they didn't hand the moonstone over she would make the town rain blood.

"We've got to talk to Stefan and Damon." Jolene told her.

"I know… I just wanted to tell you first." Caroline said, nodding.

After changing into a pair of jeans with a light blue tank top, she grabbed her dark green leather jacket.

"Let's go." She said as she came out of her bathroom.

"Didn't I give you that jacket?" Caroline asked her.

"I don't know." Jolene admitted.

"I'm pretty sure I did." Caroline said with a thoughtful look on her face.

"We need to get going." Jolene said, reminding her they were on a mission.

After knocking on the door at the Salvatore house, they waited until Stefan answered the door.

"Stefan, I'm so sorry about you and Elena." Jolene said the moment she saw him as she stepped forward and hugged him.

"I'm okay." He said, hugging her bag.

"Are you sure? I saw it… you guys by the fire place and she was crying and you were crying and by the end of my vision I was balling like a baby." Jolene said her words rushed.

"You saw it?" Stefan asked her.

Jolene nodded.

"I tried to get a hold of Elena yesterday, and when she didn't answer her phone I started freaking out; and then I saw it." Jolene admitted.

"Are you just here to check on me?" Stefan asked.

"No, we need to talk." Jolene said as she and Caroline walked into the house.

"Where's Damon?" She asked Stefan once they were in the living room.

"Upstairs I think." Stefan said.

Jolene started up the stairs and headed to Damon's room, she stepped inside and looked around but there was no sign of him.

Sighing she turned around and gasped when he was right behind her.

"Did I scare you?" He questioned, a smile toying at the corner of his mouth.

"We need to talk." She said.

"I know… I tried to call you yesterday but it went straight to voicemail." He admitted.

"No…" She tried to tell him that's not what she meant but he cut her off.

"I know when I want something I tend to get a little pushy. And bottom line is you're right, I had no right to talk to you the way I did." He said.

"Damon…" She tried to tell him again that –that's not what she was talking about.

But he kept going.

"I'm sorry." He finished.

"Are you done?" She asked.

He nodded.

"I mean we need to go down stairs and talk with Stefan because Katherine sent Caroline with another message." Jolene said, with an eyebrow raised.

"And you let me stand here and go through all of that for nothing?" He asked.

Once Caroline explained what Katherine had told her they all came to the conclusion that they were going to have kill Katherine.

They called Alaric and Bonnie over for help, and Jeremy showed up on his own as they were planning things out.

After explaining things to Bonnie she said, 'I could do a spell to trap her… like the tomb spell."

"If I had help…" Bonnie said looking over to Jolene.

The two girls really hadn't talked much since the night Bonnie had tried to burn Damon to death.

"I'll help with whatever you guys need me to do." Jolene said, nodding.

Bonnie smiled at her.

They agreed that Alaric would stay with Elena so she wouldn't show up to the masquerade ball.

Jolene kept feeling something pull her vision to the other side of the room.

Her gaze stopped on a chair; the more she stared at it the more she was overcome with feelings of pain and hopelessness.

"Jo, are you okay?" Jeremy asked, being the first one to notice she was crying.

"I'm fine." She said, quickly wiping the tears away embarrassed.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked, as he walked up to her.

"Just don't like seeing people get tortured is all…" She said looked over at Damon.

He gave her a confused look and then followed her gaze to the chair where he had tortured and killed Mason Lockwood.

"Certain objects hold… memories… like imprints of things and I can feel them. Sometimes see what happened." She said, swallowing hard.

"It was kill or be killed." Damon said his voice low as he leaned down and spoke in her ear.

"I know." She nodded.

"Everyone in? If you're going to chicken out now would be the time." Damon told everyone.

Everyone had said they were in except Jolene.

"You up for this, Jo?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, it has to be done." Jolene responded.

As everyone headed home to get ready for the dace, Jolene was almost out the door when Damon stopped her.

"Looks like you need a date to the masquerade ball." Damon said.

"Do I now?" Jolene questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Damon nodded.

"Fine… pick me up before the dance. Right now I have to go shopping." Jolene said, as she left.

Hours later she stood in front of the mirror.

She was wearing a strapless, short dark blue dress that fit her rather snugly, black fishnet tights, and a pair of dark purple high-heels.

Her hair was down lying in big, full flowing waves and she had picked up an electric blue hair dye kit which she had used to dye some random clunky streaks throughout the underside of her hair. The way she had fixed her hair with full waves, the blue showed up really well.

The doorbell rang and she spritzed herself with perfume, applied one more coat of her pale pink glittery lip gloss and topped of her outfit with the masquerade mask she had bought. It was dark blue sequins with one row of royal purple sequins around the outer edge, and a black flower and white feathers attached to the right side.

She headed down the stairs and opened the door.

Damon stared at her, his eye getting wider as he looked her up and down.

"Is it too much?" She asked her eyes wide.

"No… you look amazing." He said, almost stumbling over his words.

She smiled wide, "I'm kind of a sucker for the masquerade ball." She admitted, as she followed him out to his car.

Once he parked his car at the party, he opened her door.

Stepping out she shook her head.

"This isn't a real date, Damon." She said.

"It's an evening with you… I'll take it." Damon said, as he paused and put his own masquerade mask on.

"Aw… look at you." Jolene said, smiling at him.

"Let's go." He said, as he grabbed her hand and laced his fingers through hers.

She was going to protest, but she didn't and they headed into the mansion hand in hand.

After being at the party for a little while, she looked at Damon.

"I'm heading upstairs to find Bonnie." She told him.

"Okay, keep your eyes open." He warned, knowing she could very well be the next target.

"I will, I'll find you when the rooms ready." Jolene said.

Upstairs she saw Bonnie and Jeremy in a room, getting everything set up.

She walked in the room, her presence announced by the clicking of her heels on the floor.

"Sorry, this room's off limits." Jeremy said, glancing up at her.

"So Bonnie's gonna do the spell all by herself?" Jolene questioned.

They both looked up at her.

"Jo?" Jeremy asked.

"You look great." Bonnie said, nodding with a smile.

"So do you guys. Are we ready to seal the room?" Jolene asked.

"Yeah… the spell we need is right here." Bonnie said pointing to the open page in her grimmuor.

After completing the spell they headed back down stairs to join the party.

The plan was going well, until they found out that Katherine had brought a witch with her and she linked Elena to Katherine. They couldn't go through with the plan.

Jolene was down stairs when she walked past the study to see Matt and Tyler fighting.

"Hey!" Jolene yelled as she grabbed Matt and pulled him off Tyler.

Her mage powers were making her a lot more physically powerful.

"What the hell is going on?" Jolene yelled as she stood in between them.

"I can't stop…" Matt said trying to get to Tyler.

"Jo? What's wrong?" Caroline asked as she ran into the room she had heard the fight in.

"Matt's compelled!" Jolene said looking to Caroline.

When Jolene stopped watching Matt to look to Caroline, Matt tried to grab Jolene and throw her out of the way but Caroline hit him to keep him back.

He fell unconscious with a thud to the floor.

"Matt!" Caroline yelled dropping to his side.

"Matt failed… if Matt fails I can't." The girl who had been in the study said, as she grabbed a letter opener and started to come at Tyler.

"Tyler!" Jolene yelled, pushing him out of the way.

The girl stabbed Jolene in the shoulder with the letter opener, in a split second and without even thinking Tyler shoved the girl away from Jolene.

"Are you okay?" Tyler asked looking at the letter opener still stuck in her shoulder.

Jolene looked down and realized the girl had hit her head, and wasn't moving.

"I'm going to pull it out, okay?" Tyler said his attention focused on Jolene.

"Okay." She said, nodding.

She winced in pain as the blade was ripped from her skin.

"Ty…I… I don't think she's breathing." Jolene finally said looking at the girl on the floor.

She could feel the warm blood ooze from the open wound and down her chest.

"No... this can't be happening! Wake up!" Tyler yelled as he started to shake the girl's body.

Tyler stood up and started pacing as he grabbed onto his head.

Jolene ignored the throbbing from her arm, and leaned down and felt for a pulse with her good arm.

"Oh my god." Jolene breathed out, tears stinging her eyes as she looked up at Tyler.

"Is she dead?" He asked her.

Jolene nodded.

"This can't be happening!" Tyler shouted.

"Tyler!" Jolene yelled as he fell to the ground and yelled with pain as he held his head.

"What's happening?" Jolene asked him, taking a few steps closer.

"Get away!" He yelled.

"Tyler? What's happening?" Jolene asked.

He looked up at her and his eyes had completely changed.

After a little while his eyes went back to normal.

"Jo…" Tyler said, as he looked at her.

"I know…" She managed to breathe out as she stepped forward and hugged him.

After a little while she stepped back and said, "We need to get our stories straight."

Caroline nodded.

"Are you serious? You're going to cover this up for me?" Tyler asked her.

"Matt and Caroline were fighting, because they broke up. Sarah had way too much and drink and was dancing and twirling around. She had the letter opener and I was trying to get it away from her, that's how I got stabbed. She didn't mean to she just wasn't herself, seeing that she stabbed me she backed up in shock and ended up tripping and hitting her head." Jolene said, forming the story.

"Okay." Caroline agreed.

Tyler looked back and forth between the girls.

"What happened?" Carol asked as she entered the study after the girls called Caroline's mom.

Jolene explained everything to Carol.

"It was an accident?" Carol asked her.

"Yes." Jolene said, her eyes honest.

"It was a terrible tragic accident." Carol said.

Tyler walked back into the room.

"The Sherriff is here." Tyler told them.

"Okay, you all stay here I'm going to prepare her. I know she'll want the story from the both of you." Carol said, looking at Caroline and Jolene.

"Matt's in the car sleeping it off I'll deal with him, I don't want him involved in any of this." Caroline informed them.

"Why are you doing this?" Tyler asked, Jolene.

"I'm fixing a terrible situation." She explained, wondering how things went down with Katherine she hadn't heard from any of them.

"I did this, I killed her." Tyler said.

Jolene shook her head no, "You didn't mean to."

"But she's dead." Tyler said.

"It's okay, we're going to talk to my mom and take care of this." Caroline told him.

"You have no idea what this means." Tyler said to her.

"Actually I do." She said.

Tyler looked back and forth between them.

"How does she…?" He started to ask.

"I didn't tell her." Jolene said, as she placed a hand on his arm.

He shrugged her touch away.

"I trusted you!" He said, his eyes showed the betrayal he was feeling.

"Tyler, Jo didn't tell me anything. She wouldn't do that to you." Caroline said.

"Then how do you know?" He asked her again.

Caroline didn't have an answer, she knew she couldn't tell him it was Damon and Stefan who figured it out.

"I can't believe this." Tyler said, looking at Jolene angrily.

"Tyler… I swear." She said, but he didn't believe her.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N- **_**Thank you for reading! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**_

_**I'd really love it if you'd read the Vampire Diaries collaboration between myself and Miss E Charlotte take the time to check it out and let us know what you think. ^_^**_

**Thank you so much to everyone who added this story to their favorites and subscribed for alerts! **

**I've really been working hard to update every Sunday. ^_^**

_**Also, there is a link to my Polyvore on my profile. I post outfits, and preview banners for this and a few of my other stories on there. There is an outfit banner up for this chapter, along with a few preview banners for future chapters. ^_^**_

**Please take a few moments and leave me a review, let me know if you're still reading and enjoying the story. Your kind words mean the world to me! You guys truly are my inspiration to keep writing and updating! ^_^**


	36. The Aftermath

**Chapter 36 –The Aftermath -**

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Jolene stood outside of her house with her book bag over one shoulder. She had been explaining everything that happened with Tyler the night before.

"How much does he know?" Damon asked her.

"Nothing. All he knows is about his own curse. He doesn't know there are vampires in this town, or that I'm a witch." Jolene assured him.

"So… you're turn to fill me in on last night." Jolene prompted.

"We got Katherine." Damon told her.

"Got her? I was looking for the word killed." She said.

"Stefan and I decided death would be to kind for everything that she's done." Damon admitted.

"So what the hell did you do?" She asked.

"She's in the tomb." Damon admitted.

"What if she gets out?" Jolene asked, worried.

"She's not going to." Damon said, as he walked with her to her car.

A gust of wind blew some hair into her face, he gently brushed it away.

"I'm running a little late for school… I need to go." Jolene said, as she opened the door and put her book bag inside of the car.

"I've been thinking... technically you owe me a date since the masquerade ball was a complete bust." She said, looking at him.

He raised an eyebrow.

"I've missed you, Damon." She said, her tone honest and a little sad as her eyes met his.

"You're the one who's keeping us apart." He reminded her.

"I know…" She said.

"I'm really late for school now, I have to go." She said.

"Wait…" Damon said as she started to open the door.

"What?" She asked him.

Leaning down he kissed her, his hands tangled in her hair still wavy from the prior night.

She immediately submitted to the kiss and his touch, as she softly moaned in contentment against his lips.

Finally separating their mouths he rested his forehead against hers, and her breath was sweet as it touched his damp lips.

"I missed you to." He said.

**~()~**

At school she saw Tyler in the hallway.

"Hey… how are you?" She asked as they walked past the memorial outside of Sarah's locker.

"Not so good." He admitted.

"You want to talk about it?" She asked.

"Why? So you can go tell everyone?" He shot.

"How many times do I have to say it, I did not tell Caroline." Jolene said.

"Then explain to me how she knows." Tyler said.

"I can't." Jolene finally admitted.

"You can't?" He asked.

"No… I can't. Tyler there are things about this town that you don't know. And it's not my place to be saying anything. But you need to know that I never went behind your back and told anyone what you told me. I would never do that." She said.

"Things I don't know about this town? Why are you being so cryptic?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, Tyler. I can't say anything else." She told him.

The first bell rang and the hallways started to clear.

"If you can't tell me what's going on, then I have no other choice but to believe that you told her." He admitted.

"Well, I'm sorry that you can't trust me enough to know I would never tell anyone what you told me in confidence." Jolene said, as she turned and headed towards her class.

Half way through the day, Jolene was heading to her locker when she saw Damon.

"What's wrong?" She asked, immediately knowing something was wrong.

"Date night's going to have to be postponed." He told her.

"Why?" She asked.

"Someone took Elena." He informed her.

"What?" She gasped.

He talked low and explained everything as they headed to Alaric's class room.

"Ric says we've got 10 minutes." Stefan told them.

Bonnie did a tracking spell with Jeremy's blood and found Elena's location.

"Okay, let's go." Jolene said.

"You're not going anywhere." Damon told her.

"I'm coming with you." Jeremy told them nodding with Jolene.

"We don't know who took her… it's too dangerous." Damon told Jolene, as Stefan told Jeremy he wasn't going either.

"I'm not defenseless, Damon." Jolene reminded him.

"I didn't say that you were, but I'm not going to put you in unnecessary danger." Damon told her.

"No one else needs to get involved in this. Jo, the best thing you can do it try to hold down the fort here while we're gone." Stefan told her.

"I don't like this." She said, looking at Damon as Stefan grabbed their bag of weapons.

"I know." He said, pausing for a moment before grabbing her chin and giving her a quick kiss.

"Be careful." She called after them.

Jolene turned around to see Jeremy and Bonnie staring at her.

"I'm gonna… go." Jolene said, as she left the room. She knew they were wondering if her and Damon were back together.

After school Jolene went over to Caroline's house.

"I really hope Elena is okay." Caroline said as she unlocked the door.

"So do I… I hope they all make it back alright." Jolene said, as she followed Caroline in the house.

Once in the house, Jolene looked at Caroline as she looked around.

"What's wrong?" Jolene asked.

"Someone's here." Caroline whispered.

"Mom?" Caroline called out, but no one answered.

The girls walked through the house, until Tyler snuck up on them.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked.

"Ty? What the hell… you broke into Caroline's house?" Jolene asked.

"I believe you." He said, looking at Jolene.

"About what?" She asked.

"I know you didn't tell her about the werewolf curse." Tyler said.

"I told you." Jolene said.

"She's stronger than me… proved that outside of the school." Tyler said, looking to Caroline.

"I told you that was nothing…" Caroline said, looking around anxiously.

"I know what's going on… you're just like me." Tyler said to Caroline.

"No." Caroline said.

"I thought about it Jo, and you bought the werewolf thing a little too easily. None of it freaked you out… because you already knew about this stuff." Tyler said.

"No." Jolene said.

"I saw how strong you were." He said looking at Caroline.

"I'm not leaving here until the both of you tell me the truth." He said.

Both girls exchanged looks.

"Tyler…"Caroline started to say.

"You're a werewolf." Tyler accused.

The room was silent for a few seconds before Jolene and Caroline both busted out laughing.

"What?" Caroline asked through her laughs.

In an instant he pinned her against the wall.

"Let her go!" Jolene yelled grabbing onto his arm and trying to pull.

"Stop lying! I know what you are." Tyler yelled into Caroline's face.

"I'm not lying!" Caroline said.

"Just say it!" Tyler yelled as he smacked the wall beside her.

From the force of his hit, a large framed picture fell and glass shattered all over the floor.

Just as quickly as he had pinned her, Caroline grabbed Tyler and threw him against the wall.

From anger, her fangs showed as she kept him pinned.

"Caroline… don't hurt him." Jolene said, her voice strong. She was prepared to use her powers on both of them if she had to.

Caroline threw Tyler to the floor, and he scooted away from her in fear.

"I'm not a werewolf, okay?" Caroline said.

Slowly Tyler raised to his feet and looked at them.

"You're a vampire…?" He asked, his face showed complete shock.

"I… I don't believe this." He said.

Caroline shook her head and walked into the living room.

"How long have you known?" Tyler asked her.

"A while…" Jolene admitted.

"And you didn't tell me? I told you everything about what I knew." He said, a little hurt.

"I know, and I wanted to tell you. But I was trying to keep you safe." Jolene said.

"Keep me safe?" He questioned.

"It puts you in danger to know… it's a burden of a secret to know." Jolene told him.

Jolene waited, but when he didn't respond she walked into the living room with Caroline.

"I didn't mean to show him." Caroline told her.

"I know… it's okay." Jolene said.

"How can you be a vampire?" Tyler asked as he joined them in the living room.

"How can you be a werewolf?" Caroline retorted.

Tyler's eyes widened as he looked at Jolene.

"You… you're a vampire too." He accused.

"Uh… no I'm not, Ty." Jolene responded looking at him confused.

"At the masquerade ball… you pulled Matt of me like he was nothing and threw him across the room." Tyler remembered.

"Adeline." Jolene replied.

"You're lying." He snapped.

"You're a vampire." He accused again.

"You're just not very good at guessing things are you?" Caroline asked.

He ignored her.

"I was entirely honest with you about everything… I think you at least owe me an explanation." He said.

Jolene took a deep breath.

"I'm… a witch." She admitted.

Tyler didn't respond for a minute.

"What?" He asked, looking like he was on the verge of laughing.

"I'm a witch." She repeated, and Caroline nodded.

"And that makes you psychically strong?" Tyler asked her.

"I can use my power to make myself strong, but it's draining." She explained.

Tyler nodded still looking amused.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Jolene asked.

Finally cracking a smile he said, "I'm sorry, Jo… but come on."

"Follow me." Jolene said, as she walked back into the entry hallway that had the busted glass everywhere from the broken picture.

"Watch." She instructed.

"Okay." Tyler said, cockily crossing his arms over his chest.

Jolene walked up to the mess and closed her eyes. Holding her hands out in front of her she slowly moved them up, as she moved her hands the picture frame lifted and went back to its spot on the wall.

"Whoa…" Tyler breathed out.

She looked back at him for a few moments before turning her attention back to the broken glass all over the floor.

Closing her eyes again, she moved her hands up and all the broken glass pieces floated up into the air.

Once all the glass was up she quickly moved her hands forwards, facing her palms towards the picture frame.

All the glass flew at the picture and formed a perfect glass plate over it, you couldn't tell the picture had ever been broken.

"Believe me now?" She asked, looking at him.

"How can I not?" He questioned.

After the trio talked for a little bit, Caroline said. "Tyler look… you can't tell anyone. Not about you, not about me, not even about Jo."

"Who am I going to tell? I have no one to tell." Tyler said.

"Now that you know about us there's some other things you need know… about the founding families and the council… but you have to swear you will not breathe a word of this to anyone." Jolene said, as she faced Tyler.

"This is life and death, Tyler. They will kill all of us." Caroline said, backing Jolene.

"I have no one else to tell…" He said.

"I'm sorry about earlier… it's just I've felt so alone with this." He said.

Then he looked at Jolene, "I'm alone with this… it is going to happen to me. Next full moon I'm going to turn… and I won't be able to stop it."

"I'm scared." He finally admitted, looking at them and then to the floor.

"I know." Jolene said, nodding as she stepped forward and gave him a hug.

Caroline watched them with sad eyes, she felt bad for him.

They talked a little while longer and filled him in on some things.

Jolene's phone went off.

_Elena's safe, heading back now. _The text from Damon read.

She smiled as she forwarded the text to Caroline.

A little while later she said, "I need to be getting home, guys."

"I'm gonna tell him some more." Caroline told her.

"Okay, see you guys later." Jolene said, as she left.

After getting home she changed into a pair of dark pink pajama shorts and a dark gray spaghetti strap.

She had been watching TV for close to an hour when her doorbell rang.

Heading down stairs she opened the door and smiled to see it was Damon.

She rushed outside in the cold night air and hugged him.

"Happy to see me?" He questioned, as he hugged her back.

"I've been freaking out since you left! I was so worried that something was going to go wrong." She admitted as she held onto him tightly.

"I'm fine." He reassured her.

"And Elena and Stefan?" She asked.

"Everyone made it home safe." He answered.

"Good." she said as she looked at him.

Rising up she kissed him, before hugging him again.

"I've had this bad feeling all day… I couldn't shake it, and I thought…" Her voice trailed off.

"You thought what?" He asked her.

"Well… the last time I had that feeling was the night Elena's Aunt Jenna almost died." She admitted.

"I was so scared." She said as she looked at him.

"I… thought for a while that I might have lost you. Normally when I'm really worried about someone I can concentrate really hard and get a feeling or even a vision. And I don't know if maybe you were too far away, but I couldn't get anything." She admitted, a fear tears rolling down her face.

"Hey… it's alright. I'm still here." He said as he held onto the sides of her face and wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

She nodded.

Gently pulling her face closer to his, he lowered his head and kissed her. She raised up a little on her feet to deepen the kiss, reaching up she rested one hand on his shoulder and the other on the back of his neck.

Placing a hand on the small of her back he pulled her closer to him, his other hand was on the back of her head; her heart rate increased and she moaned softly into their kiss.

Pulling back for air, their breathing was increased as they stared at each other. Even though the night air was ice cold, she felt like every cell in her body was on fire.

"It's… uh, it's getting late." She said, as she backed into her open door.

"It's not that late." Damon said, still a little breathless as he walked up to the door frame.

She smiled.

"You didn't let me finish. It's getting late, so maybe you should come inside." She said finally inviting him into her new house.

He walked inside and she shut the door, as she turned to face him he had her pinned against the door, his hands rubbing down her sides as his mouth was back on hers.

She pushed forward from the door, pressing her body against his as she felt like she couldn't get close enough to him.

Still in each other's arms, and barely separating their mouths they started up the stairs to her room.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N- Thank you for reading! I really hope everyone liked the chapter! ^_^**

**Please take a few moments to leave a couple lines in a review, and let me know that you're still reading. You're kind words and support are what keeps me writing and updating, and I've been working so hard to update this story frequently. **


	37. Complacent

**Chapter 37 –Complacent -**

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Jolene woke up to the sound of her phone vibrating against the wood top of her bedside table.

"Hello?" She asked groggily.

"Did I wake you up?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah." Jolene admitted.

"I'm sorry I thought you'd be awake for school." He said.

"It's fine… I have to get up anyway. What's up?" She asked.

"I need to get ahold of Damon and he left his phone here. Have you seen him?" Stefan asked.

Jolene rose up and looked beside her to where Damon was starting to wake up.

"Uhhh…" She said.

"It's important, have you seen him? He hasn't been home since last night." Stefan told her.

"Yeah, I've seen him…" Jolene said, as Damon opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Okay, good. Do you know where he is?" Stefan asked her.

"Yeah… he's right here." Jolene said.

"Oh… umm." Stefan said, his voice trailing off.

"Here he is." Jolene said as she handed Damon her phone and laid back down pulling her blanket up to her neck as she lay on her side facing away from Damon's side of the bed.

A little while later he said, "Come on, we gotta go."

"I can afford to be a little late from school." Jolene said, as she closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

"I'm not talking about school. Stefan has decided to make friends with one of the vampires who kidnapped Elena. He says there are some things we have to know." Damon said.

"Ugh." Jolene groaned.

Getting out bed she dug through her closet until she found a pair of light pink leggings, a dark denim skirt, with a darker pink spaghetti strap under a light brown long sleeve shirt. She completed her outfit with a pair of dark brown boots.

"You're taking your book bag?" Damon asked her as she picked it up off the floor.

"Yes, I'm going to school after we talk to Stefan because apart from all this vampire and werewolf crap I'm still worried about getting all my credits for classes this year. If I don't I'll have to redo classes next year and I might not graduate on time." Jolene explained as they headed down the stairs and out to Damon's car.

At Damon's house they all listened to the vampire Rose, as she explained what she knew about Klaus and the originals, and how Elena being the doppelganger makes her the sacrifice.

After Rose was done explaining what she knew, Elena stood up and grabbed her book bag.

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked her.

"School, I'm already late." Elena said.

"I'll grab my stuff and come with you." Stefan offered.

"No it's okay… I know where it is." Elena said, avoiding eye contact with him.

"Jo… Damon brought you here right? You need a ride to school?" Elena asked her.

"Yeah, sure." Jolene agreed with a nod.

After her second class of the day was over, Jolene headed down the hallway towards her locker.

"Hey… what class do you have next?" Elena asked her.

"Umm…Sociology." Jolene told her.

"You don't really want to go to it… do you?" Elena asked.

"What are you talking about?" Jolene asked.

"Come on." Elena said as she grabbed her arm and pulled her in a girls bathroom where Caroline was standing.

Elena explained that she had a plan to talk to Katherine.

Seeing the terrified look on Caroline's face, Elena said "It's okay Care, you don't have to go. I need you to stay here and keep Stefan distracted."

Caroline agreed.

After stopping by Elena's house they picked up some blankets and a few other things, including the book over the Petrova family.

"You really think this will make her talk?" Jolene asked.

"I hope so." Elena told her.

"Well… she might open up a little more if we brought her something to drink." Jolene thought out loud.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked her.

"Let's make a stop by my house." Jolene said.

As they walked in Elena looked around, "I don't' think I've seen this place since I helped you move in; it's looking great."

"Yeah… I'm slowly starting to get it to feel like home. It's just weird, this big house all to myself. Even though I own it, I still feel like I'm just staying at someone else's place." Jolene admitted as she walked into the kitchen.

Going over to the recycle bin Jolene pulled an empty water bottle out of it and opened the refrigerator taking a blood bag from the bottom drawer.

"You keep blood bags in your fridge?" Elena questioned.

"Caroline brought them over when she was staying with me." Jolene explained as she emptied the bag into the water bottle.

The girls made their way through the woods until they found the entrance to the tomb.

"You sure you want to do this?" Jolene asked.

"I have to." Elena told her.

"Okay, let's do this then." Jolene said as she walked up to the door.

Closing her eyes and concentrating she managed to move the door out of the way.

Jolene and Elena looked into the empty passageway.

"Katherine?" Elena called out.

It took a little while, but finally Katherine emerged.

"Hello Elena, brought one of your witches I see." Katherine said, as she looked over to Jolene.

"Hi Jolene." Katherine said.

"We brought you some things." Elena said as she unzipped the bag she was holding.

"You came to bribe me… what is it that you want?" Katherine asked them.

"I want you to tell me about Klaus." Elena admitted.

"Hmm… you've been busy." Katherine said, smirking at them.

"I also brought you this… it's your family history." Elena said, displaying the book.

"You think that if you brought me some family keepsake, I'd open up?" Katherine asked.

"So you're not going to help us?" Jolene asked.

"No." Katherine said, looking back and forth between the girls.

"I guess she won't be needing this then…" Jolene said to Elena as she pulled the bottle of blood from the bag.

Katherine tried to rush out of the tomb to get to the blood, but the spell stopped her.

Jolene handed the bottle to Elena.

"How long before your body shuts down? 10, 20 years? Must be painful to desiccate and mummify." Elena said.

Katherine slinked back against a side wall and slid down until she was sitting.

Elena poured some of the blood into a plastic cup and sat it on the ground. Using a stick she pushed the cup in the tomb with Katherine.

"More blood?" Elena questioned as she pulled the empty cup back with the stick and poured a little more.

"It's a long story, Klaus and I." Katherine started to explain.

Jolene and Elena sat and listened as she told them about her human life and what Klaus wanted from her.

When Katherine had told her story Elena asked, "So how much of your little story is true?"

"I have no reason to lie. I have no reason to do anything, except sit her and read and rot." Katherine said as she flipped through her family history book.

"That's why you've come back. You were going to hand me over to Klaus." Elena figured out.

"So you've got me and you've got the moonstone. What else is needed to break the curse?" Elena asked.

Katherine didn't respond just looked at them, waiting for them to figure it out on their own.

"A werewolf." Jolene said.

"10 points to the witch." Katherine said, looking at Jolene.

Elena looked at Jolene confused. "Why else would she have needed to trigger Tyler's curse?" Jolene reasoned.

"And a vampire! That's why you turned Caroline!" Elena gasped.

"And a witch to do the spell. Mine bailed, but you've got a Bennet and a Proctor either will do just fine." Katherine said, looking at them.

"So you were gonna just hand us all over to be killed?" Elena asked.

"Better you die than I." Katherine retorted as she walked back into the darkness of the tomb.

"What were you two thinking?" Stefan asked as came down the stairs.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked him as Jolene continued to pick up their things.

"I could ask you the same question." Stefan pointed out.

"Caroline told you?" Jolene questioned.

"No, she kept your secret. But it didn't take long for me to figure out what was so important that you'd have to keep it from me." Stefan said to Elena.

"I knew you'd stopped me." Elena admitted.

Stefan tried to tell them that whatever Katherine told them was a lie.

"What if it isn't?" Elena asked him.

"You didn't hear what she said." Jolene backed her friend.

"You don't have to worry. I won't let anything happen to you." Stefan assured Elena.

"That's the problem. You won't. But you'll die trying, how is that any better?" She asked him.

Emerging back from the shadows Katherine said, "There's nothing you can do Stefan. I haven't even told you the best part of the story."

Katherine told them of how her entire family was killed, to get back at her for running.

"Whatever you do to escape Klaus, he will get his vengeance. On your friends, your family on anyone you've ever cared about." Katherine explained.

"Don't listen to her." Stefan said.

"Always the protector, but even you must realize that she's doomed." Katherine said.

Katherine presented the moonstone and told them she didn't want out of the tomb, as long as she was in there she was safe from Klaus because no vampire would enter the tomb.

After Katherine was back into the darkness of the tomb Jolene looked over and Elena as she started to cry.

"We'll figure something out." Jolene said, as she hugged her.

After they dropped Jolene off at her house she went inside, the heaviness of the situation they all were in weighed on her.

Lying down on her side she grabbed her black and gray plaid design fleece throw blanket and covered herself up.

A few tears slid down her face.

"Going to see Katherine… it was risky and stupid." Damon said.

She sat up looked at him.

"At least we know what were up against… or maybe how we're all going to die." She said.

"We're going to find a way out of this." Damon told her.

Jolene smiled weakly, "You know, that's what I told Elena, and it was a lie. This Klaus that everyone talks about… they are all scared to death of him! I know Katherine is a liar and she manipulates people but she was telling the truth."

Damon sat down beside her and put an arm around her as she leaned against his side.

"Klaus is going to come here, and he's going to kill every single one of us. And the real twist is the only one safe from him is Katherine because no vampire is going into that tomb. It's an impossible situation; the only person who truly deserves to be killed by Klaus is going to be the only one who makes it out." Jolene said, as she pinned her eyes shut trying to keep the tears in.

Damon leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"We are going to figure this out, Jolene." He said again.

"There's that lie again." She said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Or die trying, right?" She said after a deep breath.

**~()~~()~**

Jolene's eyes fluttered open and she looked up to a half missing ceiling, sitting up she realized she was on the floor in a house that looked like it had been destroyed by a fire.

Standing up she looked around, realizing she had never seen the house before in her life.

"Jolene." A voice said.

She turned and saw her mother.

"Mom, what's going on? Where are we?" Jolene asked, her tone fearful. Something didn't feel right to her at all.

"I warned you to stop using your powers… it's too dangerous." Rachel said as she looked at her daughter with sad eyes.

"I have only used them when I had to…" Jolene lied.

"You've been using them more than you're letting on. You've been practicing, it has to stop." Rachel warned.

"I don't understand, I'm a witch… I'm supposed to practice to get stronger. We're going up against a big enemy soon and I need to be at my strongest, mom." Jolene told her.

"You are not a witch, you have mage blood." Rachel said frustrated at her teenage daughter.

"What is the difference?" Jolene asked.

"It's difficult to understand." Rachel said.

"Then explain it to me, mom." Jolene begged.

"I can't… you're truly better off not knowing." Rachel said.

"If you can't give me a reason to stop, then I'm not going to. The lives of all of my friends have been threatened." Jolene explained to her.

"Jolene, you will stop using these powers or I will stop you." Rachel said.

"What?" Jolene asked.

"I want you to live a long and happy life… have kids of your own and be a much better mother than I ever was to you; I want you to be happy and safe." Rachel explained to her daughter.

Jolene avoided her mother's eyes.

"You're not going to like what I'm about to tell you." Rachel said, her eyes growing sad as she spoke.

"I'm not liking anything you're telling me, so I guess just get it over with." Jolene snapped.

"You have to get rid of Damon." Rachel said.

"Get rid of him?" Jolene questioned.

"Kill him." Rachel said.

"I would drive a stake through my own heart before I put one in his." Jolene said, through gritted teeth.

"He will be the end of you Jo, you can't honestly look me in the eyes and tell me that you want to be a vampire." Rachel tried to reason.

"I'm only 17. I've got some time to decide my future…" Jolene argued.

"He will not let you go. Don't you understand that? If something happens and the only way he gets to keep you is to turn you into a monster like him… he'll do it." Rachel told her daughter.

"He loves me." Jolene said, defending him.

"Maybe… but his love is selfish. You have to kill him before he makes you into a vampire." Rachel urged her.

"You're crazy, mom. You… you've never even freaking met him! Not once, you don't know him… you don't even truly know me. How the hell do you think you have the right to tell me I need to kill him?" Jolene asked.

"Because I know what will happen. Do you not feel the darkness inside of you every time you use your powers?" Rachel asked taking a few steps forward.

"It's normal. Bonnie gets a rush from using her powers too… it's a witch thing, we all get this rush before we start to feel drained." Jolene explained.

"No, Jolene… it is evil, the powers; they're powers of darkness. If you don't stop it will consume you and you won't be able to stop. And if you get turned… you'll be lost forever." Rachel said as she looked around the inside of the destroyed house.

"I've been doing my research… you cannot be a witch and a vampire at the same time. If I am turned into a vampire, I won't have any of my powers anymore." Jolene explained.

"Correct, but the darkness and the power from your Mage side will remain intact. You will be evil." Rachel warned.

"I don't believe that." Jolene said, but she had a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm your mother and I love you, believe me; I know how much I screwed up in your life, how much I screwed up with my own life; but I can see things clearly now, and if you don't do this… I will." Rachel said.

"You're dead." Jolene growled.

"Yes, but you are very much alive… and I have help here, if I have to cross from the other side into your world to finish the job for you. I will." Rachel threatened.

"How? By being some… malevolent spirit? An angry ghost?" Jolene asked not believing what her mom was saying to her.

"All I'll need is some power from my side and a blood connection into your world. Then all I have to do is take hold of you." Rachel said.

"Take hold of me? Possession? You're going to possess my body and kill Damon?" Rachel nodded.

"Oh my god… what is wrong with you?" Jolene gasped, in complete shock.

"I don't want to. I'd rather you live a long, happy… human life. So please, baby… I'm begging you. Just kill Damon, and leave town. Start fresh somewhere else where no one knows you and just be human." Rachel pleaded.

**~(End of dream)~**

"Jo!" Damon yelled as he shook her awake.

Jolene sat straight up in the bed, tears pouring down her face and crying uncontrollably as she woke from her dream.

"Oh my god." She sobbed as she put her head in her hands.

"What happened?" Damon asked.

"Nothing… it's nothing." Jolene said quickly trying to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"It doesn't sound like nothing…" Damon said confused by her reaction.

"Just… a bad dream. Everything is fine." Jolene said, as her teary green eyes met his.

"What was it about?" Damon asked her, as he scooted closer in the bed and put an arm around her.

"I don't know… it was just… really bad. Let's just go back to sleep, I'm sorry I woke you up." Jolene said as she laid down putting her back to him.

Laying back down, he scooted next to her, and pulled her against him.

"I don't care that you woke me up. I care about you… and I don't know why you're not telling me what's going on." He said, his voice quiet as his head was right behind hers on her pillow.

She pinned her eyes shut trying to keep her tears at bay, as she kept herself awake the rest of the night so she wouldn't have another nightmare with her mom again.

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**A/N- **_**Thank you for reading the latest chapter, I really hope you liked it! **_

_**I also want to take the time to thank everyone who has subscribed for updates or added this story to your favorites. **_

_**I love writing this story and being able to share it with all of you, and it means the world to me that you guys enjoy reading it. ^_^**_

_**I have another Damon/oc fanfiction up on my account titled 'Fire and Ice'. I really hope you'll give it a shot and let me know what you think, I'm writing it with a very good friend of mine Miss E Charlotte.**_

_**On my profile is the link to my polyvore account, I make sets to go along with this story. I'd love it if you would check it out!**_

**I'd really appreciate it if you would take the time to leave a review, let me know that you're reading the story. Your kind words and support are truly my inspiration to keep writing and posting updates. ^_^**


	38. The End is Near

**Chapter 38 –The End is Near -**

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"It's Jolene, right? We spoke on the phone yesterday." Vanessa said smiling, as Jolene walked into Isobel's office at Duke University.

"Yes, you must be Vanessa." Jolene said returning the smile as she shook her hand.

"My friends told me you were able to help them with finding out information about the sun and moon curse and werewolves. I appreciate you taking the time to see me." Jolene said.

"No problem. I did some digging since we talked. There's not a lot of lore on mages… but Isobel did have a few books and other papers over them." Vanessa said as she walked over and picked up the box of things she had gathered for Jolene.

"Thank you very much…" Jolene said, as she looked down at the box.

"How come you're friends didn't come with you?" She asked with a friendly smile.

"To be honest… they don't know I'm here. I've got some really freaky family stuff going on… and I just… I just need to figure a few things out before I involve them." Jolene said truthfully.

"Is that all you needed?" Vanessa asked her.

"Well… there is one more thing. Do you if you have anything over… ghost possession?" Jolene asked.

"Like a human being possessed by a ghost?" Vanessa questioned.

"That's exactly what I mean." Jolene admitted to her.

"I know it's rare… from what I understand it has to be done between 2 blood related relatives." Vanessa explained.

"Do you know how one could keep themselves from getting possessed if they had a very angry, determined ghost?" Jolene asked.

"There isn't a way that I know of. It pretty much comes down to a battle of who's stronger. Either the spirit, or the person. I also know it starts out seemingly innocent… vivid dreams, dream communication; it gives the spirit a slight hold in the living world." Vanessa said.

Jolene's face went pale as she asked, "And then what?"

"The person under attack from the spirit will start to have thoughts that aren't theirs, sudden bursts of anger and other emotions that don't seem to fit the situation; the soul of the living person is being attacked by the spirit." Vanessa told her.

"If a spirit were to manage to possess a human being fully I'm talking full on possession… is there a way to get the spirit out of the person?" Jolene asked, growing more nauseas by the minute.

"Ultimately death, I mean like other possessions, there are rituals that could be done… exorcisms of a sort. But no matter the spirits intentions before entering our world, once they get a taste of the living world again. They will sink their claws in and hold on, craving life again and the chances of the spirit setting the body and soul of the possessed being free… very, very slim." Vanessa said.

Tears stung Jolene's eyes as she swallowed hard and managed to squeak out, "Do you have any papers… or books over it?"

Vanessa studied Jolene's distraught expression before she said, "Just a few. I'll make copies of the original documents like I did with the other information you needed, be right back."

Once Vanessa left the room.

Jolene grabbed onto the solid wood desk and tried to control her breathing, but it felt like the entire room was spinning.

After adding the new papers to the box Jolene thanked her and Vanessa followed her out as Jolene loaded the box into the back of her Escape.

"Something else to keep in mind, the spirit will have a much easier time passing between worlds and taking a being under possession if the human is weak. From sickness, sleep deprivation, not eating right… anything that takes a toll on a person, breaks them down making them easier to be taken over. So it would be wise to advise the person under attack to take vitamins, make sure they get plenty of sleep and try not to let themselves get upset or stressed out." Vanessa offered some more help to Jolene.

"Thank you very much." Jolene said, as she got back in her car and started to drive back to Mystic Falls.

**~()~**

"So, we need to open the tomb long enough for Stefan to get in and get the moonstone?" Jolene asked as she drove to the store.

"Yeah, I'm getting ready to do a spell that will make some ashes, if we throw them on her she'll be incapacitated but only momentarily." Bonnie said.

"Okay, I just pulled up to the store… I need to get some poster board for this presentation I have to give in class. As soon as I'm done I'll meet you at Damon's." Jolene said.

"Jolene, I have to warn you… this is the spell that killed Grams. I can't guarantee either of our safeties." Bonnie explained.

"It's Elena; Bonnie… if the situation were reversed she'd do everything in her power to save us. We have to try." Jolene said, as she shut off the engine.

"I know. I'll see you in a little bit." Jolene said.

After picking up her poster board and some markers Jolene headed back out to her car. She popped the back of her orange Ford Edge and put her bags in the car.

"Jolene Proctor?" A voice said from behind her as she shut the back hatch.

"Yes… do I know you?" She asked. He didn't look at all familiar.

"No, but I know of you. And you're going to help me." He said.

Jolene reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

"Don't be stupid, Jolene. I'll snap your neck before you can dial one number." He said.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"My name is Elijah." He told her as he took a few steps forward.

"No… you're supposed to be dead." She said.

"I've been dead for centuries." He told her as he reached forward and grabbed the back of her head.

She gasped in pain when he pulled her hair as he spun her around and made her face her car.

"What do you want from me?" She asked.

"You'll see." He said, as he forcefully hit her head against the side of her car.

Her limp body crumpled to the ground.

Elijah looked around before scooping her body up and loading her into the back of her car.

**((()))**

Jolene woke up; raising her read she looked around she was at a table with Elijah and another man.

She tried to stand up, but her ankles were bound to the legs of the chair.

"What is this?" She asked as she looked down to a mirror, a picture of Elena and white cloth with some long strands of brown hair.

"You're going to help me find the Petrova doppelganger." Elijah informed her.

"No way in hell." She said through gritted teeth.

Elijah laughed.

"What is so funny?" She asked.

"That you think you have a say in the matter." He explained.

The other man looked a little nervous as he looked over at her and then back to Elijah.

"Now I said you're going to help me find her." He said.

"And I told you no." Jolene argued.

"I won't hesitate to kill you." Elijah informed her.

Jolene's eyes burned with tears.

"Then kill me." She said, her voice strong.

He looked amused.

"You're willing to die for her?" He questioned.

"Yes." Jolene told him.

"Loyalty… that's a trait I admire, Jolene." Elijah said as he scooted his chair closer to her.

Jolene's body shook with fear as he leaned in.

"And lucky for you… I need your help more than I need you dead." He said as he grabbed the necklace around her neck and ripped it off.

"No!" Jolene yelled as her necklace filled with vervain that her dad had given her fell to the ground.

"I don't want to do this, please!" Jolene pleaded with him.

Elijah's eyes met with hers, "You will help me find the doppelganger." He said.

Under his compulsion Jolene had no choice but to aid the warlock and Elijah in discovering Elena's location.

"I know exactly where she is." Elijah said once the spell was done.

"You're coming with me." He said, as he took a knife and cut the ropes holding her legs to the chair.

"What? Why?" Jolene asked, he didn't answer as he grabbed the back of her hair and pulled her to her feet.

As Elijah pulled Jolene up the stairs of the building with him she struggled against his hold but it was useless.

They walked in a room with Rose, Damon, Elena and 2 other vampires.

"Jo?" Elena asked her eyes wide with fear.

"I'm so sorry… he compelled me!" Jolene explained her part, as she whined from pain as Elijah held tight on the back of her neck.

She knew if she tried to move he'd kill her.

Her watery eyes met Damon's as he glanced around trying to figure out a plan.

"I killed you, you were dead." Damon told him and then his eyes went back to Jolene.

Elijah smirked at him.

"Who are you?" He asked to the other 2 male vampires that Jolene had never seen before.

"Who are you?" They asked him right back.

"I'm Elijah." He told them.

Their eyes widened.

They told him of how they were going to bring Elena to him for Klaus.

Looking at Jolene he said, "Thank you for your help."

She closed her eyes, thinking he was going to kill her.

But instead he threw her across the room.

She looked up just in time to see him rip the hearts out of the 2 vampires, before running from the room.

"Jo!" Damon said as he dropped to the floor beside her.

"I'm… okay… I think." She said.

"Are you sure?" Elena asked.

"I'm sorry; he took my vervain necklace and compelled me to do an advanced tracking spell to your exact location." Jolene said.

"It's okay." Elena said, as she helped her to her feet.

"No, it's not okay! I led him right to you." Jolene said.

"She was here on a kamikaze mission." Damon informed Jolene.

"What?" Jolene gasped.

"If I don't do this… Klaus is going to kill everyone that I love. You almost died today because of this." Elena said.

Jolene shook her head and backed away from Elena.

"We're all out there busting our asses trying to find a way to keep you safe, Elena." Jolene said.

"And you shouldn't have to." Elena pointed out.

"It's either me or everyone else dies." Elena told her.

Later that night Damon walked Jolene to her door.

"If I hadn't gotten trapped by Elijah I could have helped Bonnie and Stefan wouldn't be in the tomb." She said.

"This is not your fault." Damon told her.

"I know… I just, I feel like I let everyone down today. Elena tried to sacrifice herself, Katherine got a hold of Jeremy, Bonnie about killed herself with the spell and now Stefan is locked in the tomb with Katherine." Jolene said.

"Jolene, you can't be in 20 different places at the same time." He reminded her.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"It means that you're not always going to be able to help all of your friends." He explained.

"I can't deal with that…" She told him.

"You're going to have to, because if not it's going to get you killed." He told her.

"They are my friends, Damon. And I would take a bullet for any of them." She told him, her eyebrows pushed together in frustration.

"I couldn't deal with that." He admitted.

"I just… hate this so bad; worrying every day that my friends are going to get killed. And even though it would kill me if Elena died, I can't blame her because if I was in her place I'd do the same thing. But I just can't accept that I'm going to lose anyone." She told him.

**(((The next day)))**

Jolene sat down on the side of her bed and tied her converse shoes.

"I'm taking a care package to Stefan today, you coming with me?" He asked as he buttoned up his shirt.

"I can't… tonight is the full moon." She reminded him.

"Blondie said she'd take care of it." Damon reminded her.

"Caroline is a vampire Damon, one bite and she's as good as dead." Jolene pointed out.

Before he could protest she said, "You didn't see the video Mason recorded of his first transformation. It went on for hours and he was in excruciating pain. I know this spell where I can take some of the pain away."

"How does that work?" He asked her as she stood up and pulled her hair up into a messy bun.

"Uhh… I take the pain away by transferring some of it to myself." She admitted, avoiding his eyes.

"Are you kidding me?" He asked her, as he walked over to her.

"No." She said, her lips pressed into a firm line.

"Jolene…" He started to say.

"It's not very dangerous… it's not like it's going to kill me." She said.

"You just told me how bad the pain was going to be. How can you even consider doing this?" He asked her, his eyes searched her face as he spoke.

"Because it won't be as bad for him if I can split the pain with him. I need to get going I'm supposed to meet Caroline and Tyler at the grill.

"Tyler is letting you do this?" Damon asked his eyes intense as he spoke.

"He doesn't know yet." Jolene admitted.

Rising up she kissed him.

"I'll be careful… and you be careful too." She told him.

"Hey." He said as he grabbed her arm when she started to walk away.

"I need to go." She said.

"When he starts to turn you need to get out of there… he'll maul you to death." Damon reminded.

"I know, I said I'll be careful. I'll call you after I'm home." Jolene said as she kissed him again and headed out to her car.

Jolene parked her car and headed into the grill.

Caroline smiled and waved when she saw her.

"Tyler will be happy you're going to be there with him." Caroline offered with a small smile as Jolene sat down beside her.

"Not when he finds out what I'm going to do, he's gonna freak." Jolene reminded her.

"Are you sure you can handle this… taking in that much pain, it can't be unhealthy." Caroline said.

"Let's just not talk about it anymore, okay?" Jolene said as she felt sick from thinking about it.

Caroline nodded.

"On a side note… you and Tyler have been spending a lot of time together." Jolene said.

Caroline's eyes widened.

"It's not like that, Jo." She assured her.

"I'm not judging, or mad. I just think it's great you guys are getting along, you've helped him so much with all of this. I've been so distracted with this Elena and Klaus thing that I've not been there." Jolene said.

"We're just friends." Caroline told her.

"Like I said, not judging and not angry." Jolene said as she scooted back in her seat.

"Jo? What are you doing here?" Tyler asked as he walked into the grill.

"She's coming with us." Caroline said.

"You sure?" Tyler asked her.

"I know I've not been around much, and I'm so sorry for that. But I'm here now." Jolene said.

"Thank you." Tyler said he had never been so scared about anything in his entire life.

"This friend of Mason is in from Florida, she says he never made it back there." Tyler told them.

"My mom's freaking out and she was on the phone with your mom when I left." Tyler said to Caroline.

"We should probably get going guys." Jolene said as she stood up.

"Yeah." Tyler said.

A little while later Jolene pulled to a stop in the woods. They all got out of her car and Tyler got his bag from the back of her car.

"You know, maybe he just like stopped somewhere to surf… that is his thing isn't it?" Caroline asked, Tyler.

"Maybe, this girl just seems to think he would have called." Tyler told them.

Jolene helped Tyler hook up all the chains and test them to make sure they wouldn't come out of the walls.

Caroline stood back and watched them.

"Tell me you brought the instruction manual." Caroline said.

"Tell me you brought the wolfs bane." Tyler told her.

"Yes! It wasn't an easy herb to find." Caroline said as she pulled a bag from her purse and took the section of plant out.

"That's it?" Tyler questioned.

"This is it." Caroline said.

Tyler reached out to touch it and it burned his skin on contact.

"I got water bottles in my bag, mix it in there." Tyler said.

Caroline nodded and got a water bottle from his bag.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around, Ty." Jolene said, as she helped him hook up another chain.

"It's cool… I know you've probably got your own witchy-stuff going on." He said smiling at her.

She nodded.

"And Damon." Tyler said.

Jolene looked at him.

"I was going to tell you… I just didn't know how. And it's not like with everything going on that there's been a right time to tell you." Jolene admitted.

"It's okay. I don't like him and I think you can do better… but I'm okay." He said.

"Good" Jolene nodded.

"So… you and Caroline are getting pretty friendly. Huh?" Jolene asked, looking over at him.

"She's been helping me with all of this." Tyler admitted.

"She's pretty great, isn't she?" Jolene asked, watching him from the corner of her eye.

"I can hear you!" Caroline called out.

After they had secured the chains around Tyler, Caroline sat down on the steps and Tyler stood in the center of the room.

"How are you doing?" Caroline asked him.

"Still human" He answered.

"I don't think I can do this…" Tyler told them.

"Yes you can, we're going to be here the whole time." Caroline told him.

"And Jo's going to help you." Caroline added in without thinking.

Jolene looked over at her.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"There's this spell… it won't take all the pain away and it's still going to hurt like hell, but I can take some of it away." Jolene admitted.

"Then why didn't you tell me that yourself?" He asked.

"Well… it's not so much as I'm taking some of the pain away from you, as it is I'll be transferring pain away from you to something else." Jolene told him.

"What are you transferring it to?" He asked.

"Me." She told him.

"What? No, you can't do that." Tyler said.

"Yes I can, and I will." Jolene told him.

"Jo, you don't want to do this. You saw the video of Mason…" Tyler's voice trailed off.

"That's why I'm doing this. I saw that video and it's far more pain than one person can take. But if that pain is split between two people… it won't be so bad for you." She told him.

"Jo…" He said, as he shook his head back and forth.

"You can't talk me out of this." She said, sternly as she stood up and grabbed the water bottle with the wolfs bane mixed in and handed it to him.

"Are you sure you want to drink that?" Caroline asked.

"I have to… it will weaken me and make it harder for me to escape.

After taking a small drink he was crippled to the floor in pain as he tried to spit out the water.

Caroline rushed to his side and Jolene got into her purse and removed the small metal bowl she brought with her.

After Tyler had composed himself from the wolfs bane Jolene knelt on the floor beside him.

"Let me see your hand." She told him.

"Why?" He asked as he held out his hand for her.

Quickly she cut the palm of his hand.

"What are you doing?" He asked as she saw the metal bowl inside was a picture of each of them.

He winced and looked at her as she let the blood run from his hand into the bowl over the pictures.

Ignoring his question she then cut her own hand and let her blood run in the bowl too.

"Jolene?" Caroline questioned.

Jolene took a small plastic bag from her jeans pocket with a small piece of wolfsbane, she added it to the mixture.

She closed her eyes and holding her hands over the bowl she said the spell. Caroline and Tyler watched as the contents of the bowl went up in flames.

Once the fire had burned out Jolene slowly opened her eyes and looked at them.

"It's done." She said.

"What? I thought you were going to do the spell as he was turning…" Caroline said.

"No, I had to bind us before it started because once the transition starts… I might not be able to keep going with the spell." Jolene admitted.

"So what did you do?" Tyler asked her, his eyes wide.

"I bound your pain to me. From this moment until you are entirely in wolf form, I'll take half the pain." Jolene told him.

"What? Jolene what if it gets to be too much… you'll have no way to stop it." Caroline said, her eyes full of concern.

"It's the only way I know how to help." She told them.

"You shouldn't have done that." Tyler said shaking his head.

"You are my friend Tyler, and while this situation isn't ideal I'm doing all that I can do to help you. So let's stop talking about this… and just get through the night. Okay?" She said.

He looked at her and slowly nodded his head.

"You can do this, Tyler." Jolene said as she hugged him.

Jolene crossed the room and sat down on the steps where Caroline had been sitting, she put her back against the cold stone wall and waited for Tyler's transformation to start.

Caroline walked over and sat beside her.

"I didn't know you were going to do it like this…" She whispered.

"It's the only way, if I tried to do it continuously throughout the transformation, there's no guarantee I wouldn't stop when the pain got unbearable. Plus, once he's almost completely turned we're going to have to leave the room so you don't get bitten." Jolene pointed out.

A little while later, Tyler let out a pained noise as he dropped to his knees.

"Tyler!" Caroline yelled as she rushed across the room to him.

A moment later, Jolene cried out in pain.

"Jo!" Caroline yelled as she ran back to her.

"I… I'm fine… go be…with… Tyler." Jolene cried out followed by a loud cry of pain.

Caroline looked at her with teary eyes before going back to Tyler.

The next hours were filled with screams of pain from Tyler and Jolene both. Jolene watched as every bone in Tyler's body broke. Even though her bones were still in one piece she felt the exact same pain he was.

After seeing Tyler's eyes start to change, Caroline said "Jo… we need to go."

"I… can't…" Jolene said, before falling off the steps and screaming in pain as Tyler's spine started to break and readjust.

Caroline grabbed Jolene and raced from the room.

"I gotta lock the door up." She said as she sat Jolene down against the wall.

Jolene nodded as tears streamed down her face.

After Caroline got the door shut she screamed and jumped back as Tyler started to break through the door.

Quickly she grabbed a piece of wood and lodged it against the door frame to keep the door shut.

Jolene finally stopped screaming in pain, and took a few deep breaths.

"Is it over?" Caroline asked her.

"I think so… he must have fully wolfed out." Jolene told her.

Just then more of the door started to chip away as he tried to get out to them.

"Let's go." Caroline said as she started up the stairs.

Jolene stood up and started to follow Caroline out, but quickly lost her balance and tumbled back down the stairs.

Caroline raced back in.

"What happened?" She asked as she helped her stand up.

"I'm too weak…the spell took too much out of me." Jolene admitted.

"I knew it would." Caroline said as she helped her up the stairs and out into the chilly night air.

"I'll be fine." Jolene said.

"Why would you even do this? I mean I know you wanted to help him... but this was pretty extreme." Caroline said.

"It's my fault! Don't you remember the day he triggered his curse? Sarah stabbed me with that letter opener... Tyler pushed her away from me. If had realized she was compelled sooner I could have stopped the whole thing. But I didn't react quick enough, it's my fault he has to go through this." Jolene finally admitted what she had been thinking.

"It is not your fault, Jo. Katherine compelled Sarah, this is nobodys fault but Katherine's... stop blaming yourself." Caroline said, her lips angled down in a frown.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N - **_**Thank you all for reading! I hope you all don't mind that this chapter is longer than normal, there just wasn't really a good place to cut it off to start on the next one.**_

_**On my page there is a Damon/OC and Tyler/OC/Jeremy love triangle fan fiction about 2 sisters titled 'Fire and Ice'. It's a collaboration with the lovely Miss E Charlotte ^_^ I hope you'll take the time to check it out, and let us know what you think. The story is a lot better than the summary makes it sound.**_

**It would really make my day if you could take the time to leave a review and let me know that you are still reading and liking this story. I really love writing Jolene's character, and I appreciate all of your feedback so much! Please make my day and don't be a silent reader. ^_^**


	39. Now You Can't Get Me

**Chapter 39 –Now You Can't Get Me -**

**((()))(())((()))**

"Why aren't you any better?" Caroline asked her after a half an hour.

Jolene was sitting on the ground slumped up against a tree.

"I don't know… I said it took a lot out of me. Not only have I never worked a spell like that, but I have never been in that much pain in my entire life." She admitted.

"I think I should call Damon." Caroline told her.

"Please don't." She begged.

"Why not? You guys are back together aren't you?" Caroline asked her.

"Yeah, but if you call him he'll be mad at me." Jolene explained.

"I don't know what to do to help you." Caroline said, as she knelt down on the ground in front of her.

"There's nothing you can do. After we make sure he's okay I'm going home to sleep this off." Jolene said.

It was a little while later that Jolene said, "I… I think I'm gonna be sick."

She leaned sideways and started to cough and gag.

"Shhh. It's okay." Caroline said.

Jolene covered her mouth with her hand as she coughed some more.

"Crap." She said.

"What?" Caroline asked her.

"It's nothing." Jolene said, quickly wiping her hand on her pants.

Caroline looked down to Jolene's jeans.

"Did you just cough up blood?" She asked her eyes wide.

"Just a little." Jolene admitted, as she held onto her stomach.

"What should I do?" Caroline asked her.

"Just listen for when the growling and stuff stops so we can check on Tyler." Jolene said.

"Jo! Would you please stop downplaying this? What is going on?" She asked her.

"It's just that was a really powerful spell and it took a lot of me, then topped off with the pain. I'm just exhausted, but I'll be fine after I get some sleep." Jolene assured her.

Jolene groaned as it looked like her surroundings were spinning.

"What's going on?" Caroline asked her.

"I'm a little… dizzy." Jolene admitted, right before she blacked out.

"Jo!" Caroline yelled trying to wake her up.

A little while later Jolene came to.

"Thank god." Caroline said.

"I must have fell asleep." Jolene tried to cover.

"You were unconscious." Caroline scolded.

"It's not a big deal… maybe you should just take me home and then come back and get Tyler. Or at least help me to my car." Jolene said.

Caroline avoided her eyes.

"What?" Jolene asked.

"Don't be mad." Caroline said her eyes full of concern.

"Then don't give me a reason to be." Jolene answered.

"I… I called Damon." Caroline finally owned up.

"Damn it Caroline, why?" Jolene demanded to know.

"Because you tried to kill yourself." Damon said as he walked up to them.

"No true." Jolene said.

"I told you it was too dangerous." Damon said looking at her as she was still leaned up against the tree.

"I'm perfectly fine." Jolene said, her words interrupted as she coughed up some more blood droplets.

"Doesn't look that way." Damon said anger apparent in his voice.

Jolene sighed.

"Come on." Damon said as he bent down and picked her up.

She held onto the back of his neck as he held her effortlessly with one arm around her back and the other under her legs.

"You're sure Tyler has been in there all night?" Damon asked Caroline.

"Listen, you can still hear him growling." Caroline told him.

Damon listened and nodded.

"Why? What's wrong?" Jolene asked.

"A werewolf busted into my house earlier… thought it might have been him." Damon admitted.

"What? Oh my god are you okay?" Jolene asked, looking at him with teary eyes.

"I'm fine… but Rose came back to apologize for running out on Elena earlier and she got bit." Damon told them.

"Damn it, I was starting to like her…" Jolene said as she rested her head against Damon.

"Wait… isn't Tyler the only werewolf?" Caroline asked.

Damon shook his head. "Mason's friend, the one who came here looking for him; I might have made her mad earlier."

"On a full moon?" Jolene asked not able to lift her head to look at him again.

"Yeah, not my best idea." Damon said, looking down at her.

"What were you saying about me trying to get myself killed?" Jolene asked, trying to prove a point.

"I'm going to get her out of here. Can you handle Tyler?" Damon asked Caroline.

"Yeah." She said nodding.

"My car keys are in my purse…" Jolene said.

"Caroline, if he asks about me, tell him that I got tired and went home and that I'm fine." Jolene told her.

Caroline slowly nodded.

"No, tell him the he nearly killed her." Damon corrected.

"It's not his fault, Damon." Jolene said.

Damon was silent as he carried her through the woods towards where he had parked his car.

"You're really mad at me, aren't you?" Jolene questioned her voice a little hoarse.

"No, of course not… it just brightens my day when you try to get yourself killed." He said sarcastically.

"I wasn't trying to get myself killed." She explained.

"Could have fooled me." He replied.

"Put me down." She said squirming in his arms.

"You're too weak to walk." He said, keeping his arms tight around her.

"I'll prove to you that I'm fine. I can walk the rest of the way to the car." She told him stubbornly.

He stopped and gently put her down on her feet.

She took a deep breath and tried to ignore the fact that her legs felt like Jell-O.

"Well, go on." Damon said, as he stood back and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You go… I'll follow." Jolene told him.

Shaking his head he walked in front of her.

Jolene managed to take a few steps before her legs gave way and she started to fall.

"You couldn't even go 5 steps." He said as he picked her back up.

She didn't say anything as she reached back up and held onto the back of his neck again.

Somewhere between the woods and the drive to her house she passed out again.

**~()~**

"Why haven't you read the papers and books?" Rachel asked.

Jolene snapped awake and looked at her mom.

"What?" Jolene asked as she sat up and looked around her bedroom.

"The books you went to Duke after, all the documents on Mages? You haven't read a bit of it. Why?" Rachel asked as she sat down on the side of the bed.

"Stay away from me." Jolene hissed as she scooted up in the bed.

"I am not your enemy, Jolene. I'm your mother, and I know I haven't always been there when you needed me… but I am here now. I am just trying to help you." Rachel said, her eyes sad as she spoke.

"No you're not. You were murdered by a vampire and you just want revenge, but Damon isn't the one who killed you." Jolene said.

"I know you love him… and you say he loves you. But look at what he is… he is a monster." Rachel told her daughter.

"No, mom. You're the monster… Damon loves me and he truly cares about me, it doesn't matter that he is a vampire. He wouldn't hurt me, but you… you want to kill him and that would kill me!" Jolene yelled.

"You will be a monster yourself if you don't do anything." Rachel warned.

"Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I'll just call Damon and tell him to give me his blood and kill myself. Turn myself into a vampire to escape you and your plans." Jolene argued.

"You won't." Rachel said confidently.

"I will." Jolene answered.

"You don't want to be a vampire, or else you would have already had him turn you. You won't turn because you know there is a darkness in you. A darkness that the drugs and alcohol couldn't drown out, it's there right under the surface." Rachel said.

"You're wrong!" Jolene yelled tears stinging her eyes.

"I know because I had it to. And I tried to ignore it, and drown it with drugs and booze… but it didn't go anywhere. I spent my whole life not understanding it, but it makes sense now. It's our bloodline… it's bad, and I explained before how each mage inherits their powers when the one before them dies." Rachel said.

"When my father's father died, my dad inherited it. Then when my dad drank himself to death, I got it. Then when I was murdered you got it, but what you don't understand Jolene, is you didn't just get mine; each time another mage is made, they get a bit of power from all the mages before them. You are the strongest one there has ever been, and it's magnified more because of the witch blood from your father's side." Rachel explained.

"The power is evil… mages were born from evil, created to be a powerful force… you can't escape it Jo. I know you're trying, you're trying to be a good friend but, what you did tonight. Binding Tyler's pain to yours on his first full-moon. You want it all over with, I can see it." Rachel said.

"Want it all over?" Jolene asked.

"You're tired, honey. Tired of fighting what's inside of you, I understand." Rachel said as she scooted closer on the bed.

"How do you even know about my visit to Duke or what happened with Tyler?" Jolene asked, as tears started to run down her face.

"I'm getting stronger, Jolene. The veil keeping me out of the living world is growing thinner." Rachel explained, as she rested her hand on her teenage daughters face.

"You don't have to fight anymore, you've already been through so much in your life. There is an ending in sight… it's simple, once Damon is gone your ties to the vampire problem is gone. Then you are free to go on and live." Rachel said, as she scooted closer and wrapped her arms around Jolene as she continued to sob.

"I can't do it… I can't kill him." Jolene continued to cry, the thought killed her inside.

"I can… just let me in. I'm your mother, and all I want to do is help you." Rachel said, as she rested her chin on Jolene's head.

Jolene scooted back pushing her mom away.

"No… I'm not going to let you. I will fight you." Jolene said, as she continued to cry from being so overwhelmed.

Rachel displayed a wooden stake in her hands.

Jolene cried louder and shook her head franticly back and forth.

"Here…" Rachel said as she slid the wooden stake under Jolene's pillow.

"I won't do it." Jolene argued.

"You will, one way or another. He is no good for you. I'm your family… I love you." Rachel said as she stood from the bed and disappeared into thin air.

**~(end of dream)~**

"Oh my god." She groaned in pain as she woke up and sat up on the side of her bed as she held onto the sides of her head.

Her cheeks were wet from tears and she was having trouble breathing.

Jolene looked around her room, and then down to the spot on the side of the bed her mother had been sitting on in her dream.

Taking a deep breath and feeling dizzy, Jolene placed her hand on the blanket. Gasping when the fabric was ice cold to the touch.

No other spot on her bed felt cold, only the spot her mom had been sitting on in her dream.

Weakly, she stood up and walked with unsteady legs across her room to her bathroom.

Grabbing on to the edges of the sink to steady herself she took a few deep breathes and hoped the room would stop spinning.

Finally she reached up and opened the mirrored door to the medicine cabinet; she pulled out a bottle of medicine for pain and shut the door.

She jumped as she saw Damon standing behind her in the mirror. She was thankful he was there though when he had to keep her from falling over.

"I'm okay… you just scared me." She tried to cover how weak she still felt, and she felt like she hadn't gotten a bit of sleep.

"Come on." He said as he helped her back to the bed.

She sat down and he opened the bottle of pills and gave her a couple, then handed her the glass of water from her bedside table.

"How's Rose?" Jolene asked.

"Not good… she started to heal at first and now there's an infection or something spreading from the bite." He explained.

"I was hoping the legends wouldn't be true." Jolene said, she had hoped a werewolf bite wouldn't have the power to kill a vampire.

"Yeah me too." Damon admitted.

"I'm sorry Damon. I know you and Rose were friends." Jolene said, looking at him with sympathy.

"Sometimes vampires die; it's not a big deal." He said, brushing it off.

"You don't have to put up the façade with me Damon…" She said, as she sat the glass down and looked at him.

"I'm not putting on an act." He said.

"It's okay to be sad when you're going to lose someone you cared about." Jolene told him.

"I knew her for 5 minutes." He said.

"Fine…but if you don't start to deal with this, it's going to be 10 times as worse when she does die." Jolene told him.

"You're one to talk. You've been waking up in tears every single night… but you won't tell me why." He pointed out.

She swallowed another drink of her water.

She wanted to talk to someone about the nightmares, but she couldn't tell him. She felt like she couldn't tell anyone.

"You can go check on her, I'm fine here." Jolene told him.

"Last time I left you alone you almost died." He reminded her.

"You're still mad at me?" She asked.

He didn't answer.

"What do you want me to do, say sorry? Well, I'm sorry that you're worried about me but I'm not sorry that I helped a friend out." Jolene argued.

"I don't want you to apologize. I want you to never do anything like that again." He told her.

"You don't get to make the decision." She told him, keeping her voice calm. She didn't want to start a fight.

"Until you start to make decisions that don't put your life in danger, yes I do." He argued back.

"I don't want to fight, Damon." Jolene said, feeling a strong anger for him start to course through her entire body.

She tried to control her breathing; she knew it was her mom trying to push her to attack him.

Jolene tried to tell herself that it wasn't really her feelings, but the anger felt so real; the rage towards him so intense.

"Then stop making stupid moves." Damon said his voice still raised.

"I was helping one of my friends, are you mad because this was Tyler… or what?" Jolene asked.

"I don't care who it was, fact is you're a new witch… powerful or not you don't know you limits with magic. It can get you killed." He lectured.

"I think I just want to be alone." Jolene said her teeth were clenched so tightly from anger, she thought they might break.

"Jo…" he started to say.

She looked up at him, it took every bit of self-control she had not to go after him. She kept trying to tell herself it wasn't really her feelings.

"Leave me the hell alone… if you don't…" Her voice trailed off, she hated making it sound like a threat; she was really trying to warn him.

"If I don't… you'll what?" He asked, her sudden anger confused him.

"Get out of here." Jolene growled, as she slowly slid her hand under the pillow, her eyes widening as she felt the stake her mom had put there in her dream.

"No." She snapped at herself, as she jerked her hand back from the stake.

"No, what?" Damon asked, growing more confused and worried about her.

Damon sighed heavily and watched her as she lay back down and covered up facing away from him.

Jolene slept on and off the rest of the day and night, every time she closed her eyes her mom started to haunt her again.

She got up showered and changed into some fresh clothes.

Heading down the stairs she went in the kitchen and made herself a bowl of cereal. She was standing in the kitchen when she realized the TV was on in the living room.

Slowly she walked down the hallway and peeked around the corner of the wall.

"You're still here?" She asked as she saw Damon.

"Haven't left." He said as he looked up at her.

"And you haven't gotten over the incident from the woods either." She pointed out hearing his tone.

Ignoring her statement he said, "Elena made a deal with Elijah… he got Stefan out of the tomb."

"He didn't want to take her to Klaus?" Jolene asked as she sat down beside him with her bowl of cereal.

"I don't trust him, neither does Stefan." Damon told her.

She nodded.

"Well, after he kidnapped and compelled me I don't believe anything he says either." Jolene said as she sat the empty bowl down on the table.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N**_**- Thank you for reading! ^_^ I also want to take a few moments to thank everyone who has added my stories to your favorites list and/or subscribed for update alerts.**_

_**If you haven't yet I'd love it if you'd take the time to read 'Fire and Ice', it's a Vampire Dairies story on my profile that I'm writing with my very good friend Miss E Charlotte.**_

_**I make sets on Polyvore to go along with this story, the link is on my profile if you want to see them.**_

**This is one of my favorite stories to write, and I love getting more in depth with Jolene's character and personality. I've got big plans for this story. ^_^ Please take the time to leave me a review. I work so hard and put so much time and effort into my stories and it really brightens my day when I read all of your kind words and know you're enjoying the stories. You all are truly my inspiration to keep writing and sharing these updates with you. ^_^**

**Thank you!**

**XO**


	40. I Must Confess

**Chapter 40 – I Must Confess -**

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The next day Jolene unplugged the vacuum from the wall and looked around her living room, with a small sigh.

Walking over to the coffee table she picked up her bowl and glass form the prior morning and carried them to the kitchen adding them to the half full dishwasher.

She straightened up the kitchen and then pulled the vacuum up the stair with her and began to clean the 2nd floor of her house.

Thinking she heard something she shut off the vacuum and listened intently.

"Jo?" she heard Tyler yell.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, as she stood at the top of the stairs.

"I wanted to see you." He said, looking her up and down.

"I'm just trying to get some cleaning done…" She responded as she turned and headed back into her bedroom.

"You hate cleaning." Tyler said, as he walked into the room with her.

"True, but I live by myself… if I don't clean who will?" She asked.

He nodded.

Jolene turned around and started to pull the sheet and blanket of the bed to wash, when Tyler said "Caroline told me you almost died."

"It's Caroline, she's over dramatic." Jolene said, as she pulled the pillow cases off the pillows.

"You shouldn't have done that… binding our pain together like you did… you're human." He said.

"I'm a witch." She corrected.

"But I'm a werewolf… it's excruciating but I'm made to endure the pain… you're not." He told her.

"I'm fine, Ty." She said as she stuffed the bedding into an empty clothes basket.

"I know you just wanted to help…" He started to say, but she cut him off.

"It's over Tyler. You wolfed out and didn't rip anyone to shreds. We both lived through the night." She said.

Jolene pulled her red and black peace sign bed set from a shelf in the 2nd closet in her bedroom and dropped them onto a chair close to the bed.

"You can't be doing risky things like that." Tyler said as he watched her put the fitted sheet on the bed.

"You could help, you know." She said as she nodded to the sheet.

With a loud sigh he grabbed the fitted sheet and pulled it over the mattress on the side of the bed he was standing on.

They continued their conversation as he helped her spread the top sheet over the bed.

"You might be a werewolf and built to withstand the curse but you don't know magic works, I do… I'm fine." She said.

"It's not just the magic, Jo." Tyler said.

"What are you talking about?" Jolene asked.

Helping her spread the blanket over her bed, Tyler said "It's you… you're…"

"I'm what?" She asked, looking at him.

"What's going on with you?" He asked.

"Nothing." She said, shrugging.

She still had barely been sleeping, and the nightmares with her mom were getting more intense.

With each passing day she was getting intense urges to kill Damon.

Walking around Tyler picked the pillow cases up from the chair, stopping when he saw a leather jacket under them on the chair.

Picking it up to, he said "Damon's?"

Jolene pulled the leather jacket away from Tyler and nodded as she laid it down on the foot of the bed.

"You're taking a lot of risks lately. Following Mason by yourself when you were pretty sure he was a werewolf, binding our pain together knowing it was a stronger spell than you've worked before. I know you've not really been sleeping that much." Tyler said.

"So what are you trying to say?" she asked.

"It's like you're trying to get yourself killed." Tyler finally said.

"What?" Jolene gasped.

"It's the truth…" Tyler said.

"I am not trying to get myself killed, I'm just trying to get by." Jolene said, feeling like she couldn't quite get air in her lungs.

"Caroline is worried about you to, it's not just me. We can see you're… you're falling apart, Jo." Tyler said.

"So what? You two get together and talk about me now?" She asked, feeling a little hurt.

"No, it's not like that. We're worried about you." Tyler told her.

"You don't need to be." Jolene said, her voice louder than she had intended it to be.

Tyler's eyes went back to the leather jacket.

"I really hate to bring this up, but have you noticed how things seem to go down the drain when you get around Damon?" Tyler asked.

"Oh my god, are you really trying to bring him into this?" Jolene asked, angrily as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm your friend, and I'm worried about you. That's all I'm saying." Tyler said.

"Well, message received loud and clear. You've done your job. Have a nice day." Jolene said as she picked up the clothes basket and headed back down stairs to her laundry room.

"Jo…" Tyler said following her.

"Don't start. I'm far too tired to deal with this right now, and things have been good between us. Let's not screw this up." She said, her voice dry.

Without saying much else to her, Tyler left before their conversation broke into a bigger fight.

**~(Later that night)~**

Jolene sat in her living room, her house was silent. She was staring at the TV mounted on the wall, but it was turned off.

She was thinking about what Tyler had told her; as much as she didn't want to believe it he was right.

She had been taking a lot of risks and repeatedly putting herself in dangerous situations, she had been working so hard trying to convince everyone else that she had gotten her life together that she hadn't really tried to work on getting it together.

Jolene decided she was going to talk to Caroline, or Elena about what was going on; knowing if she didn't try to face it and work through her issues, things were only going to get worse.

She started to even consider maybe talking to Bonnie about trying to find a spell to banish her mom's spirit, but every time she wanted to talk to someone they needed her help and she pushed her problems to the side.

"Hello?" Jolene answered her phone.

"Jo… it's Elena… I followed Rose to the school; she got away from the house. The werewolf bite is poising her and she's hallucinating … can you come help?" Elena asked her.

"Yeah. Of course, I'm on my way." Jolene said as she started out the door to her car.

Once she got to the school she called Damon.

"Did Elena call you about Rose?" Jolene asked him.

"Yeah… I'm getting ready to head to the school." Damon told her.

"Where are you?" She asked.

"I've been trying to find Stefan, haven't seen him since this morning." Damon admitted.

"Okay, well I'm here now." She told him.

"At the school?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to find Elena and try to find Rose." Jolene explained.

"She's hallucinating, she's not herself." Damon said.

"I understand that." Jolene said waving as she spotted Elena.

"Meaning that the bloodlust is in control and she will rip your throat out." Damon said.

"Geez, don't sugar coat it or anything." Jolene breathed out into the phone.

"You need to be careful." Damon told her, concern showing in his voice.

"I'll, see you soon." She said as she ended the call.

Looking at Elena, Jolene said, "So what's going on?"

Elena explained about how Rose had kept hallucinating and thinking she was Katherine and tried to attack her.

"Alright… take this. Let's go." Jolene said as she handed Elena a wooden stake.

"What about you?" Elena asked as she took the stake.

Jolene patted her head, reminding Elena of her witch powers.

The girls had been looking for nearly 15 minutes when they saw Rose attacking a couple by their car.

"Rose!" Jolene yelled as she ran up to her.

Turning and facing her Rose's eyes were full of hunger; she wasn't in control of herself.

She knocked Jolene down and pinned her to the ground.

Using her powers on the vampire, Jolene quickly flipped them and held Rose down as she yelled out in pain.

"Rose! It's Jolene… it's okay!" She yelled.

Rose finally stopped resisting against her, and Jolene stopped using her powers.

Rose looked over to the dead couple.

"Did I do that? No! I never wanted to hurt anyone…" Rose cried, tears filling her eyes at seeing the 2 dead bodies.

"I know you didn't, it's okay." Jolene tried to soothe.

Rose looked to Elena who was standing terrified a few feet away from them, "I'm sorry Elena, I'm so sorry!"

Elena looked around not sure of what to do.

"We need to get her out of here." Jolene said to her friend.

"Come on." Jolene said as she helped the vampire to her feet.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked as they neared Jolene's car.

"We're going to get you home, it's okay." Elena offered, her heart breaking for her.

"I don't have a home. I haven't had a home for a long time…" Rose said, starting to cry again.

"Your home is where your friends are, right now we're your friends. So you're coming with us, okay?" Jolene said as she opened the back door of her orange Ford Escape.

"Thank you…" Rose sobbed as she climbed into the back seat.

Jolene drove them to the Salvatore house and took Rose up the stairs to Damon's bedroom and helped her into the bed.

"What should I do?" Elena asked Jolene.

"I guess call Damon, let him know we're here and he doesn't need to go by the school." Jolene said.

"I'm sorry, Elena… I thought you were Katherine." Rose explained.

"I know." Elena said with a nod as she took her phone and started to leave the room.

Rose drifted off to sleep and it was about 20 minutes later she came to.

Elena was waiting down stairs still shaken up from what had happened.

Jolene was sitting on the foot of the bed watching her.

"You're awake." Jolene said with a soft smile.

"I'm sorry…" Rose apologized again.

"It's okay." Jolene said scooting closer.

"I don't like taking human life… I never have." Rose told her.

Damon had just gotten to the house and was starting to head into his room, but stopped to listen when he heard Rose and Jolene talking.

"Have you thought about your future?" Rose asked Jolene trying to take her mind off of the pain she was in.

"Umm… right now I'm pretty pre-occupied with staying alive long enough to finish high school." She answered a small smile on her face.

"You're funny and kind. I can see why Damon fancies you so much." Rose said, looking to the teenager.

"You need a drink?" Jolene asked her, looking to the bedside table where she had a glass of blood sitting for her.

"It's the worst part about being a vampire, the hunt. The need to kill, the thirst… the pleasure it brings you afterwards." Rose said.

Jolene shifted uncomfortably on the bed.

"Can we talk about something else?" Jolene asked. She had been thinking more about her future, and what she'd have to become to stay with Damon.

"I wasn't meant to be evil…" Rose continued.

Taking a deep breath Rose said, "Damon's a lot like me. He wants to care, the minute he does… he runs away from it."

"Yeah, well… it's not just vampires that run away from emotions and their feelings… witches do it to." Jolene said, watching her.

Rose started to cough and gasp in pain.

Jolene scooted up and rubbed her back.

"Why are you so nice to me?" Rose asked looking up at her.

"It's my human side, I guess." Jolene joked.

"You can't ever forget it. What it's like to be human. It haunts me, but it's the only thing that's kept me going." Rose said, her voice weak and strained as the infection from the bite spread.

Jolene swallowed hard at her words.

A few moments later Rose cried out in pain and started to convulse in the bed.

Jolene tried to comfort her, but there wasn't anything she could do for her.

Damon walked in the room avoiding Jolene's eyes; he had listened to their entire conversation.

"What do we do?" Jolene asked him.

"Go." Damon instructed.

"No." Jolene argued.

Damon sat down on the bed and grabbed onto Rose, holding her still as she screamed in agony, "Oh my god! Make it stop, make it stop. I can't take it anymore… please make it stop!"

Tears stung Jolene's eyes as she looked at the pained expression on Damon's face, he had started to care about Rose and consider her a friend. Her heart broke for him.

Jolene crossed the room and slid down the closed door until she was sitting on the floor looking at Rose and Damon.

"Who'd have thought you'd be a nice guy?" Rose asked, her voice low and raspy.

"I'm not nice, I'm mean… I like it." Damon responded, looking over to the wooden stake on the bedside table.

"You lie…" Rose breathed out between coughs.

"Shhh. Just sleep." Damon told her.

Jolene watched as she knew Damon had gotten inside of Rose's head and was giving her a nice dream, so she could die peacefully instead of in agony.

After a little while, Damon looked over at Jolene and nodded towards the stake on the bedside table.

Weakly Jolene rose to her feet and crossed the room, a few tears slipping down her cheeks as she handed him the stake.

Jolene watched as Damon took a deep shaky breath before plunging the stake into her heart, putting her out of her misery.

Damon turned his head away from Jolene but she saw the few tears that escaped his eyes at having to kill a friend; it only made more tears pour down her cheeks.

Slowly Damon pushed her body to the side and stood up from the bed.

"Damon…" Jolene said, her voice cracked as she could see how much pain he was in.

"I have to load her body in my car; show Liz the vampire problem is solved." Damon explained.

Jolene stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his chest and keeping her hold tight.

He stood still.

She was almost about to let go and step back when he finally raised his arms and held her tight against him.

She could feel from his breathing that he was still fighting tears.

After Damon left with Rose's corpse, Jolene descended the stair as Elena was about to leave.

"You heading home?" Jolene asked her friend.

"Yeah, and then try to get a hold of Stefan." She told her.

Stefan had been gone all day trying to find Isobel for her information on Klaus, but no one knew it.

"I'm sure he's fine." Jolene offered.

"Yeah." Elena agreed with a nod.

"Are you going home?" Elena asked her.

"Probably, I'm going to wait until Damon gets back first though." Jolene explained.

Elena nodded to her friend.

"Goodnight, Jo." Elena said.

"Hey… umm, do you think we can talk?" Jolene asked, she was starting to feel more unstable by the minute.

"I kind of need to get home and call Stefan." Elena said.

"Okay, maybe another time." Jolene said, avoiding Elena's dark brown eyes.

"If it's important, I've got time…" Elena said, a little alarmed at the look on her friends face.

"No, it's not important." Jolene said as she walked Elena to the door and told her goodbye.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N- **_**Thanks for reading! Thanks to anyone who has added this story to their favorites or subscribed update alerts, I'm sorry happy there seems to be such an interest in this story.**_

_**On my profile is a link to my Polyvore page, I make sets to go along with this story and a few of my others if you wanted to check them out. ^_^**_

**You all are really my inspiration and keep me writing and updating. It means so much to me when you leave a review and let me know you're reading; even if it's just a few lines. I appreciate it so much, it shows me that there is still an interest in the story. Please take the time to let me know you're reading. ^_^**


	41. Such a Mess

**Chapter 41 -Such a Mess -**

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Jolene sat down on the couch in Damon's living room waiting for him to come back.

She had tried to call Caroline to talk, but she didn't answer the phone.

Finally, she heard the door open and stood to see Damon.

"You're still here?" He asked.

"Just wanted to check on you before I headed out." Jolene told him.

"Why?" Damon asked.

"Uh, to make sure you're okay." Jolene said, cocking her head to the side in confusion.

"Well, Jo. I appreciate the gesture, I'm glad it's all over with." Damon said, as he reached past her and picked up a glass of alcohol off the table next to her.

"I know better than that." Jolene argued with him.

"Go home; you need to get some sleep. It's a whole new day tomorrow." Damon said as he took a drink from his glass.

"I'm worried about you." She admitted.

"I'm well aware of that." Damon responded, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"I can tell you're hurting… please don't push me away." She said, her green eyes watery as they met his.

"What do you want me to say? That I cared about Rose? That I'm upset?" Damon asked.

"If that's how you're feeling then yeah." She replied with a nod.

"Well, I didn't and I'm not." Damon lied.

"Don't do that… I was in that room with you, she was your friend Damon." Jolene said, her voice strong.

"You think I'm far more capable of emotion, than I really am." Damon said as he started to walk away.

"I know what it's like… to kill someone you care about. The guilt, and the anger… I know what you're going through." Jolene said.

Damon stopped and she could see his shoulders tense.

"You're human, you're capable of feeling those thing. I'm not human." Damon said as he turned and faced her, his eyes dark.

"I know what you are, but you still feel and right now you're hurting. I'm here, Damon, I care about you." Jolene said, as she took a step closer.

He shook his head back and forth.

"I know Jules was coming after you… you're upset and feeling guilty because Rose is the one who got attacked." Jolene said trying to show him she knew what he was feeling.

"That would be human of me, wouldn't it? And since you don't seem to be getting the point, I'll tell you again; I am not human!" He yelled.

"You don't have to be human to feel." Jolene argued with him.

"Go home." Damon yelled at her.

"Don't do this…" Jolene said, pinning her eyes shut trying not to cry.

"Then just leave, I don't want you here." Damon said, his words harsh.

"Not true." She responded, swatting a few tears from her cheeks.

"Yes it is, go home." He told her again.

"You don't want to admit it, but you need someone right now… and I'm here." She said, swallowing hard as more tears formed in her eyes.

"I don't need or want anyone… I'm not going to tell you again, leave!" Damon yelled.

Jolene looked at him, "Fine, have it your way. Sit here in this house all by yourself, wallowing in your guilt and self-pity…"

He watched as she walked out the door, he heard her car start and she drove away.

Tears poured down her face and she could barely see the road.

"See… he causes you nothing but tears and pain, baby." Rachel said.

Jolene gasped and swerved as her mom was sitting in the car with her.

"How are you… I'm awake… this isn't a dream." Jolene sputtered her words.

"You're the only one who can see me." Rachel responded as she looked around the interior of her daughter's car.

"Leave me alone." Jolene said, wishing her voice sounded stronger than what it was.

"I can't, I've told you what needs to happen." She replied.

"If you're spying on me all the time than clearly you saw how Rose's death affected him… he's not a monster." Jolene defended Damon.

"He is." Rachel argued back.

"Damn it, mom! Stay the hell away from me… you're supposed to be dead! Why the hell can't you just stay dead?" Jolene shouted.

Rachel let out a loud irritated sigh.

"Why can't you just do the right thing for once?" She responded.

"Why can't you?" Jolene shot back.

Rachel disappeared from the seat.

Jolene turned on the radio trying to take her mind off the pain she was feeling, but every single station was static.

She changed it to CD mode, but still all that sounded through the speakers was static.

Turning the radio off, she groaned as it still played static.

"Damn it mom!" Jolene screamed, knowing it was her mom interfering with the radio.

Jolene drove the rest of the way home crying as the static kept getting louder and louder.

She paced back and forth in her living room for close to an hour, before she took out her phone and called Caroline, she felt like if she didn't talk to someone she was going to lose her mind.

Caroline didn't answer the phone. She had been avoiding Jolene ever since Tyler had kissed her.

"Fine bitch… ignore me. It's not like I stuck by your side and helped you or anything." Jolene growled under her breath as she felt a new sense of anger course through her body.

The light above her started to flicker, and she felt pure rage towards everyone.

Jolene tried Bonnie.

"Hello?" Bonnie asked, it was obvious she had been sleeping.

"Bonnie… I have to talk to you." Jolene said, pinning her eyes shut as the anger was starting to be taken over a by a feeling of hopelessness.

"Can't it wait? It's the middle of the night. I have a really big test tomorrow and I need my sleep." Bonnie said, as she started to fall back asleep.

Tears started to stream down her face and she hung up the phone.

"See, you do everything for your friends and they won't even miss out on a little sleep to help you." Rachel said.

Jolene ignored her mom as she started up the stairs to her bedroom.

"They don't care. But I do, I am trying to help you. Once he's gone you can leave this town behind and forget about everyone in it." Rachel said.

Opening her closet Jolene packed 2 bags of clothes and dropped them to the floor by her door.

"You can't just run away. He'll find you, the only way out it get rid of him first." Rachel explained, again.

Jolene continued to ignore her as she laid down on the bed and closed her eyes.

"I'll just come to you in your dreams…" Rachel told her.

"Go to hell." Jolene snapped.

**~()~**

A little while later Jolene had drifted off to sleep, but instead of her mother haunting her dreams.

She had another vision, it was perfectly clear and it felt like she was right there watching the scene play out right in front of her eyes.

Damon was lying in the middle of a road; a young woman was on her way home and stopped to see if he was okay.

"Sir, are you okay?" The woman asked.

"I'm lost." Damon responded, looking up to her.

"And you're lying in the middle of the road?" the young woman questioned.

"Not that kind of lost. Metaphorically, existentially…" Damon explained to her as he sat up and looked at her.

"You need help?" The woman asked him.

"Well, yes I do. Can you help me?" He asked, as he dramatically pulled a flask from his pocket and took a drink.

"You're drunk." She realized.

"No. Uh, well yes… a little, maybe." Damon replied, his words slurred.

Jolene watched the woman's face as she started to realize something was wrong with the situation, and a look of fear spread over her face as she started back towards her car.

"No, please don't leave. I really do need help." Damon said.

The girl sped up trying to get to her car, but Damon raced towards her.

"Don't move." He compelled her.

"I don't want any trouble." The woman responded.

"Neither do I, but all I have is trouble." Damon said, his speech still slurred.

Damon took another drink from his flask.

"Why can't I move?" the woman asked him.

"What's your name? Damon asked her.

"Jessica." She responded.

"Jessica, I have a secret. I have a big one, but I've never said it out loud." Damon said.

Jessica had some tears running down her cheeks from fear.

"I mean, what the point? It's not gonna change anything; it's not gonna be good, make me adopt a puppy!" Damon yelled, his words still slurred.

"I can't be what other people want me to be." Damon told her

"I can't be what she wants me to be…" Damon continued.

Tears stung Jolene's eyes as it felt like she was standing in the road beside them.

"And it's obvious she doesn't want to be like me." Damon continued. Thinking back to the conversation he had heard between Jolene and Rose.

Leaning in and grabbing onto her arms he said, "This is who I am, Jessica."

"Are you going to hurt me?" Jessica asked, still crying.

"I'm not sure." Damon said honestly.

"Because you are my existential crisis; do I kill you, or do I not kill you?" Damon thought out loud.

"Please don't." She begged.

Jolene was crying harder than Jessica as her vision continued.

"But I have to, Jessica. Because I'm not human. And I miss it, I miss it more than anything in the world. And that is my secret!" Damon yelled.

"That you miss being human?" Jessica asked confused.

"Yes! And how can I ask her to give that up?" Damon thought, thinking about Jolene seeming to have no interest in becoming a vampire.

"I don't know." Jessica said.

"But I have to. Because I'm selfish, and I want her. I selfishly want to take away from her the very thing I want so bad; to be human." Damon continued to talk to a very confused and terrified Jessica.

"I don't even know who we're talking about." Jessica sobbed.

"But there is only so much hurt a man can take!" Damon yelled.

"Please, don't!" Jessica screamed at seeing the look shift in his eyes.

Jolene's head and heart pounded as she helplessly watched the rest of it play out in front of her eyes.

"Okay." Damon said, taking a deep breath.

A few tears slid down Damon's face, before he released his compulsion on Jessica.

Terrified she ran towards her car.

But just as she started to open the door, Damon attacked her.

Pinning her to the car and sinking his teeth into her neck.

Jolene gasped loudly and sat straight up in her bed, looking franticly around her empty room.

"No, no, no!" She yelled as she grabbed her keys and bolted from the house, not even locking her door behind her.

From her dream/vision, she recognized where they had been.

She hoped that it was just a nightmare or that she'd make it there before he hurt Jessica.

But when she turned onto the road her heart sank when she saw, Damon with Jessica beside her car, as her dead body dropped to the pavement.

Jolene stopped her car and jumped out.

"Damn it!" She exclaimed.

Damon had been doing so good only feeding from blood bags.

He looked at her confused at why she was there, and tired from all the emotional trauma of the day, and the after effects of all the alcohol was setting in.

She had never seen him look more lost or upset.

"Damon…" She breathed out, her eyes traveling back down to the dead woman.

"I'm not human." Damon said, his words more slurred than before as he stumbled back and landed against Jessica's car.

"I know." Jolene said as she now stood barely a foot in front of him.

"Come on, we have to get out of here." Jolene said as she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her car.

She opened the passenger door and he got inside, still looking dazed and lost.

Jolene turned her attention back to Jessica.

Jolene knew she was dead, but leaned down and felt for a pulse just to make sure. There was no sign of life.

"I'm so sorry." Jolene cried, tears running from her cheeks onto Jessica's face as she grabbed her arms and pulled her off the road and behind some trees.

Standing above her corpse, Jolene looked up to the moon as more tears poured from her tired eyes.

Stepping back she waved her hand over the body, and her skin and clothes were shredded, looking just like a wild animal had gotten ahold of her.

Jolene dried her eyes and headed back to the road getting into her car and looking over at Damon as he finished off the contents of his flask.

They were silent as she drove them back to her house and pulled into he garage so she could get him inside without anyone seeing the blood on him.

Getting him up the stairs and to the bed, he fell back on the bed and looked up to the ceiling.

It didn't take long for him to pass out.

Jolene walked into he bathroom and splashed some water on her face when she looked back to the mirror, it was her mom's face looking back at her.

"It has to be done. He's taken another life, you've helped dispose of her body. What kind of monster have you already turned into? If you're this bad now… how would you be as a vampire?" Rachel questioned.

"I wouldn't." Jolene cried, as she replayed watching Damon kill Jessica in her mind.

Now her mom was standing beside her.

"It's okay. You gave him more than enough chances and now he's killed an innocent girl. She couldn't have been much older than you." Rachel said as she pulled Jolene in for a hug.

Jolene's eyes widened at how real the embrace from her mom felt, like she was real breathing, living human being.

"It's okay. We can fix this… make it all better." Rachel soothed as she rubbed her hands over Jolene's back.

Jolene cried more at how her mom was acting. Her whole life this was the mother she wanted, sober and caring.

She wanted to have her mom there to hug her when she was upset and having boy trouble, but she never had before.

"I can help you. Let me help you, baby." Rachel continued to speak softly against the top of her daughters head.

"I hate myself." Jolene sobbed clutching onto her mom tighter.

"You can have a fresh start, a new life in a new town. Be anyone you want to be." Rachel continued to say.

Letting go of her Rachel took her daughters cheeks in her hands as she leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"All you have to do is take the first step… one move and you'll set yourself free." Rachel said as she displayed a wooden stake.

Rachel pushed the stake into her daughters shaking hands.

Jolene looked out of the open bathroom door to the bed where Damon was still passed out, flat on his back.

"I don't want to." Jolene said, as she cried even harder.

"He's passed out… it's the perfect opportunity. It will be peaceful." Rachel tried to convince her.

"I can't mom… I love him… so much… I can't." Jolene said as she laid the wood stake down on the sink.

"Then if no other reason, do it because you love him." Rachel said, as she picked up the stake and handed it back to her daughter.

"That's a crap reason." Jolene said shaking her head back and forth.

"No it isn't. You heard him talking to that girl, he misses being human more than anything. He's been here for well over a hundred years… does it seem like he's happy?" Rachel questioned.

Jolene tried to stay strong but she could feel her defenses starting to weaken against her mother.

"I won't do it." Jolene argued shaking her head back and forth.

"You can set both of you free…" Rachel continued to push her daughter into killing him.

Jolene could feel her mother's spirit trying to push into her body, it was uncomfortable, every single cell burned as her mother's spirit started to fuse to Jolene's body.

"Please don't." Jolene cried trying to regain her defenses. But she hadn't hardly slept in weeks, and she was so stressed out, angry and heartbroken.

Everything went black and Jolene fell the floor.

A few seconds later her eyes fluttered open.

Jolene raised up and looked around, scared that her mother was still there.

But she didn't see her.

She scrambled to her feet and started to leave the bathroom, but her legs wouldn't move.

Jolene then realized she wasn't in control of her own body, as she picked up the stake from the sink and started to walk out into the bedroom.

She opened her mouth and tried to scream and warn Damon, but nothing came out. She was a prisoner in her own skin, helpless to do anything but watch as she walked closer to the bed.

With the stake raised above her head, Jolene's eyes went to where she needed to stake him to kill him quickly.

**((()))(())((()))**

**A/N- **_**Thank you for reading! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**_

**Thank you so much to everyone who added this story to their favorites and subscribed for alerts! **

**I've really been working hard to update every Sunday, and even some in between. ^_^**

_**Also, there is a link to my Polyvore on my profile. I post outfits, and preview banners for this and a few of my other stories on there.**_

_**I just posted the first chapter of a new Vampire Dairies fanfic 'She Wolf' and please check out 'Fire and Ice' – a story I'm working on with my good friend Miss E Charlotte.**_

**Please take a few moments and leave me a review, let me know if you're still reading and enjoying the story. Your kind words mean the world to me! You guys truly are my inspiration to keep writing and updating! ^_^**


	42. No Where to Turn

**Chapter 42 – No Where to Turn -**

**((()))(())((()))**

Just as she started to lower the stake, she fought as hard as she could against her mother's hold on her.

Right before she staked him, she managed to force her mom's spirit from her body.

Rachel stood on the other side of the bed and looked at Jolene in shock.

"Do it! You have to kill him! There is no other way!" Rachel shouted.

Jolene looked down to Damon, still passed out on the bed. Completely unaware of how close he had just come to death.

A look of hate came over her face as she looked back up to where her mom was standing.

Jolene walked over and picked up her bags, and headed downstairs.

Laying the bags and the wooden stake down on the counter, she opened the refrigerator and grabbed the last 5 canned energy drinks she had.

Opening a cabinet she grabbed the 2 bottles of caffeine pills she had bought to help keep herself awake.

She opened one of the energy drinks and took a few of the pills, before she put the wood stake, pills and unopened energy drinks in her bags and headed out to her car.

She tried to call Elena, but she didn't answer. She tired Caroline's number again, no answer there either.

She decided against Bonnie, and drove towards Tyler's house.

She needed help and didn't know where to turn.

As she pulled into the drive way she saw him sitting on a bench outside of his house.

"It's the middle of the night what're you doing?" Jolene asked as she stopped her car and got out.

"Stay the hell away from me." Tyler growled his nostrils flared in anger.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I don't know Jo, why don't you tell me. Is there anything you should tell me?" He asked.

Jolene stood by her car and looked at him.

"Look, I have no idea what's going on. But I really need your help, Ty." Jolene said.

"Oh you want my help?" Tyler asked walking closer to her, anger apparent on his face.

"Yes. I seriously need help." Jolene said, a tear sliding down her face.

"Then why don't you go ask your vampire boyfriend for help?" Tyler shot at her.

"What?" Jolene gasped.

"You and Caroline… you both told me she was the only vampire in town. But the truth is the town is crawling with them." Tyler said his voice almost in a growl.

"I'm sorry. I was in an impossible situation; I was doing the best I could to be there for everyone!" She shouted back at him.

"Stand up job." Tyler hissed.

"Why the hell does everyone always turn on me when I need them?" Jolene breathed out, more tears falling from her eyes as she felt even more alone.

Not able to control his anger, Tyler grabbed her upper arm and slammed her hard against her car.

She groaned in pain and looked at him shocked.

"Let go of me." Jolene demanded.

"I know. I know everything now, about how it was you and your vampire friends who killed Mason." Tyler said, his face only inches away from hers.

"How could you do that to me? And then lie right to my face about knowing anything. I can't even stand to look at you." Tyler continued.

"You are hurting my arms. Let go of me." Jolene hissed in pain, as his grip tightened on her arms.

"Get away from me, Jo." Tyler yelled as he let go of her arms and took a few steps back before he hurt her even worse.

Jolene ran back to the driver's side of her car and left.

"You don't have anyone, Jo. It's just me and you, I'm here." Rachel said from the passenger seat of her car.

"I hate you and I hate myself… I hate this town and half of the people in it." Jolene said, as she gripped the steering wheel tightly trying to figure out where to go.

"You can't leave town. Not until you do what needs to be done here." Rachel said.

Jolene looked over and noticed her mom wasn't as solid in appearance as she had been before she possessed her.

"You're weaker." Jolene said.

"It took a lot out of me to take hold of you, but I will get my strength back and we will finish this Jo." Rachel said.

Jolene turned the radio up as she started to leave town.

"Stop it! Turn this car around!" Rachel shouted.

When Jolene showed no signs of stopping her car, Rachel used what strength she had to kill the car battery.

As the car stopped, Jolene looked over and saw her mom almost looked transparent now.

"You're fading out." Jolene said, her eyes full of rage.

"I'll be back, soon." Rachel said to her daughter before disappearing.

Jolene tried to restart the car, but it was useless.

Opening the back she unzipped one of her bags, she took a few more caffeine pills as she opened another energy drink.

Surveying the contents in the back of her car, Jolene dumped the contents of her school bag out and filled it with the documents about mages and ghost possession she had gotten from Vanessa at Duke.

With her 2 bags of clothes and her school bag, she locked up her car.

She started walking back into town, wondering how long it would be before her mom would get enough strength built back up to possess her again.

As she walked along the dark sidewalk tears poured from her cheeks, at the thoughts filling her head.

Vanessa told her the only real way to stop the attacks on herself would be death.

She'd rather die than kill Damon.

Stopping she rubbed her eyes as she had been crying so much.

She looked over to see some apartments.

Jolene had been with Damon once when he had dropped Alaric off at his apartment.

With her 3 bags in hand, she entered the building and trekked up the stairs, stopping outside of his apartment.

Raising her fist she knocked on the door.

It was a little while later he opened the door in a pair of boxers and a white t-shirt.

"I'm sorry for just showing up like this… I don't have anywhere to go." Jolene said, more tears streaming down her face.

"Jolene? It's the middle of the night." He said, as he stepped behind the door some, as he was only in boxers and a t-shirt.

"I know… but I want to kill Damon." She continued to cry.

"Hold on." He said as he shut the door.

A few moments later he opened the door after putting on a pair of blue sleeping pants.

He stepped the side and let her in.

She walked over to the couch and dropped her bags on the floor beside her.

"So what is going on?" He asked, alarmed at her distraught state.

"I either have to kill Damon or kill myself, and I'd rather kill myself than him… but I don't want to die." She cried, putting her head in her hands.

Alaric looked around uncomfortably, he had heard she used to have some drug problems.

"Okay… I'm asking you this as a concerned friend. Not your teacher… did you take something?" He asked.

"No. I swear." Jolene said.

She calmed down some when he brought her a glass of water and she explained the situation with her mom's spirit and the mage powers leaving out the part about Damon killing a girl the night before.

He could see how serious she was, and believed her.

He looked over some of the papers on ghost possession as she explained more about the encounters he had been having.

Then his alarm went off from his bedroom.

"Okay, you can come back by after school and we'll go over this some more. See what we can do." He said, as he laid the papers down on the coffee table.

"I don't have anywhere to go. If I get around Damon, I'm afraid I'll kill him. And all my friends are too busy… I can't go to my dad. I have nowhere to go." She said as her tears started again.

"Jolene, I'm sorry but you can't stay here." He said, looking at her concerned.

"I'm all alone." She sobbed.

"I'm sorry, but I am your teacher… you can imagine how bad it would look if you were staying here." He said.

"I understand." She said.

He left the room to get dressed for school, and when he came back she was still on his couch.

He stood in the doorway staring at her.

Sighing he said, "Okay, you can stay here until we get this all figured out. But if anyone asks… I'm you uncle."

"Thank you so much." She said, looking up to him.

"Are you going to school?" He asked.

She shook her head no.

"Okay." He said, not sure how to help her feel better.

"Well, I'll be back after school." He said, as he turned to leave.

Then he stopped and said, "I have a meeting after school… so I will be home in the evening."

Jolene looked around, "It's you apartment… you don't have to tell me when you're going to be here."

"Please don't tell anyone I'm here." She pleaded.

"Well, I wasn't planning on announcing it to the school that I have a student crashing on my couch." He pointed out.

"I mean it. Not anyone, not Elena or Stefan and certainly not Damon; I can't be around any of them until I get this figured out. Please, just say you haven't heard from me." She begged.

Sighing in defeat he said, "Okay… I won't say anything."

"Thank you so much." Jolene said, managing a small smile.

"See you after school and the meeting." He said as he turned and left.

Jolene stood, and crossed the room locking the door and then turned around.

His apartment was not quite how she had expected it to look.

She walked around and trailed her fingers over the exposed brick wall and looked to the dirty dishes filling the sink.

After a little while she hadn't heard or seen her mom, she searched the closets until she found one with a few blankets.

Walking back to the couch she laid down and covered up, hoping to get plenty of sleep before her mom built up enough strength to try and attack her again.

It was a little after 3pm when she woke up, amazed at how much better she felt after getting some uninterrupted, peaceful sleep.

She laid her school bag on the table and took the papers out about Mages but couldn't bring herself to read them.

She laid them back down on the table and tapped her shoes on the wood floor, as her eyes kept drifting back to the papers.

Finally she got up and went into the kitchen washing all of the dishes to keep herself distracted.

She tapped her fingers on the counter and got a washrag and cleaned off all the counter tops and the table.

Then she returned the books laying around to the book case and straightened up the entire apartment to keep herself busy.

Sitting back down she checked her phone, she had it on silence so it wouldn't wake her up.

She had 5 missed calls and a voicemail from Damon.

Taking a deep breath she played the message; "_Jo… I know you probably don't want to talk to me after last night. When I woke up and you weren't here I thought you were at school but Stefan says you're not. At least call Elena or Caroline…"_

She had 2 missed calls from Elena and a voicemail; _"Jo, it's Elena. I'm not really sure what's going on, if you and Damon got into a fight or something? He's not saying much, but I'm getting worried… no one's heard anything from you. Please call me back."_

Then there was a missed call and voicemail from Bonnie, "_I'm sorry about last night. I should have known by your voice something was wrong… I was half-asleep and I'm sorry. School just got out, and no one has seen or heard from you. I'm more than ready to listen, so call me when you're ready."_

Jolene shook her head at seeing her missed call list was longer than she had expected.

Stefan had left her a voicemail; "_Damon seems really worried about you, I'm not sure what happened but you weren't at school and Bonnie says she's got a bad feeling. You have been acting a little… reckless lately. Damon looked all around town today, he says your car is on the side of a street leading out of town, but you were nowhere to be found. We're all really starting to worry."_

Sighing with irritation, Jolene quickly did a spell to shield herself from any tracking spells, incase Bonnie tried to use magic to find her.

She almost didn't listen to the voicemail from Caroline but she did; "_Okay, so I know I've been a very neglectful friend lately. I suck, and I know that. I've been dodging your calls and avoiding you in person, all because I didn't know how to tell you something. And I didn't want you to be mad at me. But I'm just going to come out and say it. Tyler kissed me. You have every right to be mad at me, but I'm freaking out here. Damon called me to see if I had heard from you… for him to call me, it must be serious, so please call me. Even if it's to bitch me out, because I totally deserve it. I love you and I hope you're safe."_

Just as Jolene dropped her phone to table, Ric unlocked and walked into his apartment.

"Hey." He greeted.

"Funny isn't it? Everyone is too busy to help me, until they think there could be something wrong. And then suddenly they're all calling me, worried. It's just to put their own minds at ease. Even though I have been there for every single one of them time and time again, no matter how much crap I had going on myself." Jolene said, her eyes still focused on her phone.

"Maybe you should call them back… we might figure this out sooner if we had more help." He pointed out as he sat down in the chair across from her.

"No… I'd hate to interrupt their lives with my problems. It's me and you." Jolene said looking at him.

He sighed and shook his head as he picked the papers back up and started to read back over them.

She had his laptop and was looking up some information online, when he looked over the kitchen. Then his eyes scanned the living room.

"Did you… wash the dishes and clean?" He asked.

"I was bored." She admitted not looking up from the computer.

He looked back around before shaking his head and focusing back on the papers.

As the night went on they ordered a pizza and tried to find a way out of her situation.

* * *

**A/N- **_**Thanks for reading! ^_^ Sorry for the cliffhanger last chapter, but at least I updated a little sooner than normal. I hope you guys liked the chapter.**_

_**If you haven't yet please check out the Vampire Dairies fanfic on my account that I've been working on with Miss E Charlotte it's titled 'Fire and Ice'. I'll be updating that story soon also**_**.**

**You all really have no idea how much your continued support means to me! ^_^ Your kind words and support are the reason I keep writing and try to update my stories as quickly as possible. Please, take the time to leave a review and let me know you're still reading. I appreciate it so much! ^_^**


	43. The Light is Dim

**Chapter 43 – The Light is Dim -**

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The next morning Jolene woke up when she heard Alaric's alarm clock going off, once he was up and in the bathroom she unplugged her cellphone from the charger.

Taking a deep breath, she called Damon.

"Jo?" He answered.

"Hey…" She said her voice quiet.

"Where are you?" He asked.

"I… I'm safe." She told him.

"Where are you?" He repeated his question.

"I'm not going to tell you." She admitted.

The phone was silent for a few moments before he said, "I know you're upset about the other night… you… you weren't supposed to show up."

"I showed up because I saw the entire thing, Damon." She explained, rubbing her forehead as her head started to hurt.

"The whole thing?" He repeated back.

"Every bit of it." She said.

"I know that had to… mess you up pretty bad." He breathed into the phone.

"Believe it or not, this actually has nothing to do with what happened. I've got some really weird stuff going on, and I'm dangerous. I need to stay away from you." Jolene explained.

"You're dangerous? What are you talking about? Just tell me where you are." He said.

"I can't explain it. But I just wanted to tell you I'm okay and you don't need to worry." She explained.

"Too late for that. What aren't you telling me?" He asked, his voice a little louder.

"Did you call Elena or Caroline?" He asked, when she didn't respond trying to figure out who he could talk to see what she was hiding.

"No. I don't want to talk to any of them. I only called you." Jolene admitted.

"I'm going to find you." Damon told her.

"No you won't. Not even Bonnie can track me, I'm serious. I have some really freaky crap I have to deal with first… and then I'll come back to Mystic Falls." She said, trying to make him think she wasn't even in town.

"Jolene…" Damon started to argue.

"I'm hanging up…. I love you." She said as she hung up the phone before he had the chance to say anything else to her.

She sighed loudly and rubbed her eyes before she dropped her phone to the coffee table and looked up to see Alaric standing in the doorway.

"How long have you been there?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Not too long." He said as he walked in the room and picked up his laptop case.

"Can you take these with you, and read over them if you get a chance? It's all the papers about Mages, I just can't bring myself to read it. My mom kept saying it was an evil thing to be… and I'm not so sure I want to know what she's talking about. So can you just skim over it and see if there is anything I absolutely need to know or that could help us?" She questioned as she held a few folders out.

He nodded and put them in his computer case.

"We've been looking for a few days and we haven't found anything that is going to help us… have you thought about what you're going to do when our mom gets the strength to come back?" He asked.

"If she comes back and starts to get as strong as she was before… than I've got 2 options. Either kill myself, or take Damon's blood and kill myself to turn into a vampire." She said, trying to not get upset at the thoughts.

"Neither one of those sound likes a good option, Jo." Ric said.

"You're telling me. But I will not let her get strong enough to possess me again, I barely got control back the last time… and I seriously was within inches of driving a stake through Damon's heart." Tears stung her eyes as she remembered the night.

"I will definitely look these over… but I need to head out, I'm running late. Are you going to be okay?" He asked her.

She let out a small laugh, "Is that a trick question, Ric?"

He thought about it for a minute before smiling and shaking his head.

"See you later." Jolene called as he left.

**~()~**

"You really think this will work?" Elena questioned as she walked from the school heading to Bonnie's car.  
"I hope so… maybe I can pick up a feeling or something from her house." Bonnie told her, as they skipped the rest of the school day to search Jolene's house.

"Caroline is going to meet us there after her next class." Elena said as they got into her car.

As they neared Jolene's house, Elena looked over and saw a tear slide down Bonnie's cheek.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked turning the radio off.

"You had to tell me how to get to her house, I haven't been there once since she moved in. In fact, the only time I've really talked to her is when I needed her help." Bonnie said, disappointed in herself.

Elena nodded her head.

"I've not been a whole lot better." She admitted.

"It was just… she kept staying around Damon, and I can't stand to be around him. But I've been friends with her my whole life and I just let everything get in the way." Bonnie said, her voice cracking as more tears ran down her cheeks.

Elena's eyes stung with tears as she thought of how she had been so judgmental about Jolene's relationship with Damon.

"We all really let her down." Elena said, as they pulled into her driveway.

"We have to find her." Bonnie said as they exited the car and headed up to the front door.

Bonnie put her hand over the door knob and the lock clicked.

The girls pushed the door open and walked in and then they heard something in the kitchen.

They rounded the corner and saw Stefan.

"Stefan?" Elena asked, confused.

"Hey… what are you doing here?" He asked them.

"Bonnie thinks she may be able to get a premonition or something from being here." Elena explained.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked.

"Pretty much the same thing; just trying to get a clue of where she disappeared to." Stefan told them. In the time he had known Jolene, she had been there for him every single time he needed her. Even after all the pain he had caused her.

"She didn't disappear. She ran off." Damon informed the room.

Bonnie sighed loudly.

"You said her car was off the side of the road…" Stefan said.

"Correct, and it was. But she called me this morning." Damon told them.

"What did she say?" Elena asked.

"It was a quick conversation, she pretty much told me I didn't need to worry, she left because she's dangerous and then hung up." He explained.

"I didn't get a call from her." Elena said.

"Neither did I…" Bonnie said.

"Why would you?" Damon asked looking between them.

"Because we're her best friends! Have been for almost as long as we've all been alive." Bonnie snapped at him.

"Then maybe you should have acted like her best friends." Damon snapped back at her.

"Are you trying to say this is our fault?" Elena asked him, shocked.

"She called you… the night she left; you're the one who told us that." Damon accused looking at bonnie.

"So it's all my fault? Because she called me in the middle of the night and I was half-asleep and didn't know something was wrong?" Bonnie asked.

Before Damon could respond Bonnie yelled, "What about you Damon? What did you do to her?"

"Nothing." He said.

"You called all of us that morning and to ask if we'd heard from her. Obviously something happened with you two or you wouldn't have been trying to find her." Elena said, not liking him blaming them.

"How do we even know this isn't some cover up? Did you do something to her?" Bonnie yelled.

"Are you kidding me?" Damon asked.

"No. I'm serious. It would make the perfect cover up, calling around telling everybody she's gone. And then you claim she called you to say she left on her own! Sounds a little to suspicious." Bonnie continued to yell.

"She did call me!" Damon yelled back his voice almost in a growl at Bonnie and Elena trying to insinuate that he might have killed or hurt her.

"There is no proof! You're the only one who has supposedly heard from her! It is a little strange that she didn't call anyone else…" Elena agreed.

"Elena." Stefan said shaking his head, at seeing how mad Damon was getting.

"What Stefan? You didn't even tell me you were coming here to try and find anything out!" Elena yelled, her nerves on edge from everything.

"Why are you here?" Damon asked, looking at his brother.

"She is my friend to." Stefan reminded them.

"Well, I remember a time when you almost killed her! And now you're just snooping around her house?" Bonnie yelled.

"She and Stefan were okay, he didn't do anything to her." Elena defended him.

"You can't be sure of that either! Maybe he's here trying to clean up or destroy evidence." Bonnie snapped at her best friend.

"So Damon and I just got together and killed her? Is that what you're saying" Stefan asked, starting to get angry along with everyone else.

"That's not what we're saying. But why didn't you tell me you were going to come here?" Elena asked her boyfriend.

"Because you were in school! I was going to call you after if I found anything." Stefan said, his voice raised.

"Think about it Elena, they were both here when we got here." Bonnie said turning to her friend.

"You can't be serious!" Stefan yelled at her.

"I didn't do anything to her, I wouldn't do that." Damon said, his breathing labored from anger.

No one had even heard Caroline enter the house a little while ago. She had been standing in the doorway watching them all argue.

Shaking her head back and forth she screamed, "Just shut the hell up!"

Everyone turned and looked at her surprised.

"My god! If I had to listen to this all of the time, I would have ran away too! I mean do you freaking hear yourselves? Our friend is gone, and you're all just fighting over whose fault it is!" Caroline said angrily with her arms crossed over her chest.

"She's right." Elena said looking to Bonnie who nodded.

"So let's find her." Caroline said.

They all started to look for signs of where she could have gone.

Caroline grabbed Jolene's computer and sat down on the side of the bed to see what her last internet searches were for when she felt something under the pillow.

"Uhh… guys." Caroline said as she displayed the wood stake.

"Where was that?" Damon asked her.

"Under her pillow…" Caroline said, just as confused as he was.

"Why did she have a stake under her pillow?" Elena asked looking over to Damon.

"I don't know." He answered honestly.

They all sat down in the living room and tried to piece her last few days together.

"A little while ago, she mentioned that she was having some nightmares with her mom… something about her powers being bad, and she needed to stop using them." Elena mentioned.

"I remember that, she was going to try to find out more about Mages." Stefan agreed.

"The past week she kept waking up in the middle of the night screaming and crying." Damon told them.

"More nightmares?" Elena wondered out loud.

"Yeah, but I don't know what about. She wouldn't tell me." Damon said, looking down to the coffee table.

"So let's try to find out our own information on Mages… Isobel's office had a ton of lore books, maybe there's something there?" Elena thought as she took her cellphone out.

"While you're doing that. I'm going to go back upstairs, see if I can pick up anything." Bonnie told them.

Bonnie walked around Jolene's empty bedroom trying to focus on picking up something on Jolene.

As she walked into the bathroom she looked in the mirror and gasped as she started to have a vision.

She saw Jolene crying hysterically and her mom holding her, while she tried to tell her she needed to kill Damon.

But Jolene refused and Bonnie watched as her mom possessed her, she saw how it happened when Jolene almost killed Damon but was able to take her body back.

By the time the vision was over, tears were pouring down her face.

Grabbing some toilet paper she dried her eyes and tried to make sense of everything she saw.

"So get this… apparently Jolene went to Duke and got information not only on Mages but she also asked about literature on possession. Vanessa said she seemed really upset over something…" Elena announced as Bonnie entered the room.

**~()~**

Alaric unlocked the door to his apartment and walked inside, stopping when he smelt food cooking.

"Jolene?" He questioned.

"Hey! You're home! I've been reading up more on ghost possession and I read about this ceremony/exorcism thing that can be done." Jolene announced at she put a pair of oven mitts on and pulled the pan of breaded baked chicken from the oven.

"You cooked?" He asked, surprised.

"I'm sorry. I should have asked… I just thought you paid for pizza last night, so tonight I'd cook. Is that okay?" She asked, as she added butter and stirred the mashed potatoes.

"No, uhh… it's fine. I'm just… not used to this." He said with a small laugh.

After they fixed their plates they sat down at the table.

"So, this ceremony you were reading about. What does it entail?" Alaric asked her.

"Well, it's dangerous. I have to let my mom fully possess me first and then I'll need a witch, I'm thinking Bonnie might help me. It's a pretty powerful spell… but if it's done correctly than it will banish my mom's spirit." Jolene said.

"Banish her to where?" Alaric asked.

"I don't know… I'm really trying not to think of that part." Jolene admitted.

"So what happens if it doesn't work out right then?" He asked.

"It's sort of fool-proof on the banishing my mom part. Either way it's going to send her away, far enough away she won't be able to come back or even contact me again." Jolene said a slight look of sadness in her eyes.

"You said it's dangerous…" Alaric pointed out.

"It will send her back either way… either just by banishing her, or…" Her voice trailed off.

"Or what?" He asked her, his voice a little gruff as she kept avoiding his question.

"Or I die. But either way she'll be sent out of this world where she can't hurt anyone." Jolene finally admitted.

He took a deep breath and shook his head.

"There has to be a safer way… a way that won't involve you trying to get yourself killed." He said.

"Not that I've found." She told him.

They were silent for a little while before he said, "I looked over those papers today…"

"Well, you might as well just tell me." Jolene said.

"According to the information you gave me. Mage's originated from Europe, there was an ancient tribe of witches, who were known for the magical and healing abilities at the time. Legend has it that a group of 6 Mages came in the night and slaughtered the entire tribe, drinking the blood of the witches and taking in all of their power." He told her.

"Oh my god." She said, her forehead wrinkled.

"Legend also has it that those 6 mages were created by angra mainyu." Alaric told her.

"What is that?" She questioned.

"In an ancient language it roughly translates into a few different things; evil spirit, destructive mind…" He said.

"I don't understand." Jolene admitted.

"Supposedly the Mages did the work of demons… gathering innocents for slaughter and blood sacrifice. But as destructive and evil as the original Mage's were, they were also extremely smart. They found out that by consuming the blood of witches they got strong enough that they no longer had to follow the demons orders; gaining them free will to do as they pleased." Alaric continued.

He watched her closely, before he opened his mouth and continued to explain.

"Once other towns and tribes heard of the evil Mages they prayed and called upon ahura mazda, which form what I understand means; good spirit, bounteous spirit; pretty much the opposite of the angra mainyu." He continued.

"According to the legends ahura mazda cast angra mainyu into hell, since he had created so much death and evil, it's said that he has been reigning over the underworld ever since." Alaric explained.

"Reining over the underworld… you mean like the devil?" Jolene questioned her eyes wide.

"I guess you could look at it like that." He agreed.

"So then what happened to the original 6 mages?" Jolene asked.

"It's said that the Mages saw their own futures, they were all 6 males and that they would all be killed by ahura mazda, knowing of their impending fate they procreated with human, female witches so that their blood line would continue." Alaric said.

"Okay… so breaking it down, it means that… my powers really are born from evil? Like… demon evil?" Jolene asked.

He nodded, "According to the lore… it was the first few generations from the mage/witch offspring who created black magic."

Jolene felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"See baby? I tried to tell you –you were better off not knowing about all of this." Rachel said from beside the table.

Jolene groaned at hearing her mother's voice and rubbed her temples, stopping when she saw Alaric staring at where her mother was standing.

"Is that…?" He asked, his face growing pale.

"You can see her?" Jolene gasped.

He nodded.

"You're a kind person… and you care about my daughter. It's not easy for me to use this much power to manifest myself to you, but you must help me. Vampire's took everything away from you. Damon turned your wife into a monster… you must want him dead." Rachel pleaded.

Alaric breathed out and he could see his breath in the freezing air as the temperature in the room dropped.

"Tell her how bad Damon is, of the monster he really is and what he intends to turn her into." Rachel pleaded with Alaric.

"Shut up, mom." Jolene growled in anger.

"Jolene, look at yourself. You're having to hide in your teachers apartment because of Damon." Rachel tried to reason.

"No, I am here because you possessed me and tried to make me kill Damon!" Jolene shouted, jumping to her feet.

"And we were so close! You were almost rid of him and able to start a new life for yourself." Rachel reminded her.

"If Damon turns her, you know you'll have to kill her. She will be nothing but pure evil." Rachel said to Ric.

Standing up and shivering in the coldness he looked at Jolene's mom's ghost.

"I think you're twisting things around to fit your agenda. There is absolutely nothing in the lore saying if she's a vampire she'll be evil." Alaric said, finally speaking.

"They are all evil! I was murdered by a vampire!" Rachel shouted, the light in the kitchen shattered.

"I read some other things too… about spirits who refuse to let go of the human world, mostly dying horrific death they can't be at peace. So they trick the person closest to them into helping them join the living world." Alaric said.

Jolene looked over at him as he spoke.

"You think she'd make it as a vampire?" Rachel asked him.

"I think you're trying to use your daughter to get your revenge on vampires." Alaric said.

"No I want her free of Damon." Rachel snapped.

"Why Damon? He isn't the only vampire!" Jolene asked.

"You don't want to know, just please listen to me." Rachel pleaded to the both of them.

"No. I will kill myself before I hurt him." Jolene said, her voice strong.

Alaric looked over at her as she spoke.

"Fine… see for yourself." Rachel said as she pointed to the T.V.

Jolene and Alaric watched it as it turned to static and then finally changed to a picture of a hazy blurry image.

Jolene's eyes widened as she saw Damon attack and kill her mother in the woods.

Ric's eyes widened.

Jolene's eyes stung with tears as she watched it.

"You're lying…" She said, her voice cracking.

Rachel's ghost grew more transparent as she had used too much power that night and she disappeared.

"She's lying right? I mean… she could have easily manipulated the T.V right? She's lying!" Jolene yelled looking to Alaric.

"I hope so…" He said, not sure what to believe.

* * *

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**A/N –**_** I hope you guys all enjoyed the chapter and thank you so much for reading.**_

_**Also, there is a link to my Polyvore on my profile. I post outfits, and preview banners for this and a few of my other stories on there.**_

_**Please check out 'Fire and Ice' – a TVD story I'm working on with my good friend Miss E Charlotte.**_

**Please take a moment or so to leave me a review. I really, really appreciate it! There are days when I don't feel much like writing or updating, and I'll go back and look over the reviews and they truly inspire me to keep going! So please, if you are a fan of this story don't be a silent reader. ^_^**


	44. And Everything Would Be What it Isn't

**Chapter 44 – And Everything Would Be What it Isn't -**

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"Were you able to pick anything up?" Caroline asked, seeing Bonnie's expression.

Bonnie nodded her eyes stung with tears as she said, "She wanted documents on ghost possession, because her mom is trying to possess her."

"Why?" Damon asked.

"Because she refused to kill you… her mom is going to possess her to kill you." Bonnie admitted to him.

"That must have been what she meant when she told you she was dangerous." Stefan said looking to his brother.

Damon thought about how angry Jolene had been getting at him for seemingly no reason, everything started to make sense.

"What can we do?" Elena asked.

"I don't know… why does her mom want you dead so bad?" Caroline asked looking to Damon.

"I don't know, I never even met her." Damon said.

**~()~**

Jolene pulled the blanket up to her chin, as she laid on her side on the couch staring into the dark living room.

She finally drifted off to sleep.

"Jo." She heard someone whisper.

Opening her eyes she looked around the same spot in the woods where she saw her mom when she first started to communicate with her through her dreams.

Only instead of sunlight beams shining brightly down through the trees, it looked like a fire had burned through the woods.

Everything was shrouded in a dark mist, and freezing cold.

"Jo!" She heard another whisper.

"Leave me alone!" Jolene hissed as she turned and saw her mom.

"I'm trying to help you. Jolene… there is something bad happening. I tried to tell you not to use the powers, if you hadn't kept using them they wouldn't have been able to find you." Rachel whispered as she looked around with a look of terror on her face.

"Please just stop haunting me, I won't kill him!" Jolene said.

Rachel looked confused, "Kill who?"

"Why are you playing dumb?" Jolene askjed, anger in her eyes.

"There isn't time for this… one of them is here and he's trying to bridge the gap into your world." Rachel warned.

"Who?" Jolene asked, confused.

"Your ancestor." Rachel said.

"I'm so lost." Jolene admitted.

"One of the original Mages… the one our blood line originated from. I don't know why, but he is trying to get into your world. I've been trying to get through for a few weeks to warn you." Rachel said.

"So you've not been haunting me?" Jolene asked.

"What? No…" Rachel started to say, but the darkness grew and the temperature dropped even farther.

"No!" Rachel yelled, as a dark smoke started to swirl around her until she was gone.

"Mom!" Jolene shrieked.

Then a high pitch noise started, so loud and painful it brought Jolene to her knees.

She covered her ears with both hands and cried out in pain, as she was immobilized from the intense pain.

"Hey! Jolene! Hey! Wake up!" Alaric yelled as he shook her awake.

Jolene sat up and looked around the room.

"What happened?" He asked her as he sat on the coffee table and faced her.

"This is bad… this is really, really bad." Jolene cried, tears running down her face.

Crossing the room Alaric turned the light on.

"Oh my god… you're bleeding." He said as he looked at her.

She rubbed the side of her face, and looked at her hand; she had been bleeding from her ears in her sleep.

"What happened?" He asked again as he sat down beside her on the couch.

"I… I'm not sure." She said.

"I think that the problem is bigger than we thought… I…" She shook her head back and forth at a loss for words.

Jolene spent the rest of the day trying to sort through the dream and trying to figure out what to believe.

**~(The next night)~**

Alaric was gone with Jenna, and Jolene was watching TV in his apartment when she had a vision of Caroline in a cage and a man with a gun pointed at her. He kept shooting her and spraying her with vervain.

She changed into a pair of jeans and a black tank top, with her black leather jacket and a pair of boots.

Jolene quickly worked a spell to get Caroline's location and took off towards the woods, after she grabbed some wolfs bane from the bottom of her bag.

Before she fled her house she had gathered some wolfs bane and vervain in case she needed them for anything.

Jolene opened the door on an RV and she grabbed an almost full bottle of water and crushed the wolfs bane in her hand and mixed it in with the water.

Then she walked inside the beck room just in time to see a man shoot Caroline with some wooden darts that got caught in her neck.

She screamed out in pain and kept crying.

"Let me out!" Caroline screamed as she kicked the metal cage.

"You better do what she says." Jolene said as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the small doorway into the room.

"Jo!" Caroline shrieked as she continued to cry in agony from the torture.

"Oh, yeah. And why is that?" He asked, cockily as he stood and faced her.

"That vervain in that bottle?" Jolene questioned, nodding towards the spray bottle.

"As a matter of a fact it is, why? You wanna take a shot at her he asked." As he smelled the air to make sure she wasn't a vampire.

"Torturing my friend? Not really my cup of tea. However… I brought you a little something." Jolene said as she screwed the lid off the water bottle.

He looked at the cloudy water in the bottle.

"Whatcha got there, sweetie?" He questioned.

"Jo… help me." Caroline sobbed.

The man picked up the water bottle and was about to shoot Caroline again.

"I'm giving you the opportunity to stop." Jolene warned.

"What are you going to do if I don't?" he asked, as he sprayed Caroline again.

She shrieked in pain as Jolene jumped on the man knocking him to the floor as she poured the wolfs bane water on his face.

He screamed and shrieked in agony as it burnt through his flesh.

"Doesn't feel too good, does it?" Jolene growled as she grabbed his chin and forced his mouth open a she emptied the last half of the bottle in his mouth.

He started convulsing on the floor; Caroline looked at Jolene her eyes wide.

Jolene started looking for a way to open the cage to break Caroline out of it.

"Stefan's here I can hear him talking…" Caroline said her voice a pained whisper as she dug another wooden bullet out of her side.

Brady jumped to his feet from the floor and slammed Jolene hard against the wall.

She gasped in pain and the skin on her cheek busted open from the impact.

"Now I don't know what you are, right now I don't care. But you just made one hell of an enemy." He growled into her ear.

"Let her go!" Caroline shrieked, trying to bust out of her cage.

"You idiot." Jolene hissed in pain as she used her powers and he fell to the ground in pain.

She had promised herself she'd fight like a human and not use her powers because she was getting afraid of the darkness of them.

"Look out!" Caroline yelled.

Jolene looked up just in time to see a man fire a gun at her.

She tried to jump out of the way, but the bullet made a through and through wound on her outer upper arm.

Gasping in pain she narrowed her eyes and within seconds the man fell to the floor, and stopped moving.

Tyler was in the room with them now; he looked down to the werewolf in shock.

"Tyler there's a latch on the door and I can't get to it." Caroline screamed as she pointed to it.

Jolene dropped to the floor and held onto her injured arm.

"Tyler!" Caroline cried out.

He hesitated but finally let her out.

"Stefan and Damon are outside… there's a ton of other were wolves…" Tyler admitted, not sure who's side he was on.

Jolene stood to her feet and Tyler's eyes widened as he saw blood running from under the sleeve of her leather coat and off her hand.

She quickly made her way past him with Caroline right behind her.

Jolene looked out just in time to see a werewolf stab Stefan in the back, Stefan dropped to his knees in pain.

Her wide green eyes then saw Damon fighting with another werewolf and Jules shoot him.

It took her a few moments to comprehend everything that was going on, as her entire side was throbbing from the gunshot wound.

Then Jules raced towards Caroline and held the gun with wooden bullets to her back, Caroline whimpered.

Tyler joined them outside but didn't try to do anything to help her.

Jolene looked from Caroline back to where Damon was laying injured on the ground, as a werewolf started to raise a stake over his chest.

Knowing she shouldn't use her powers, she shook her head, and chanted under her breath.

All the werewolves started screaming out in pain, and dropping to the ground.

Tyler looked at her shocked.

Stefan raised his head and looked at Jolene shocked, as he started to rise back to his feet.

All the wolves were incapacitated except for Tyler.

Stefan staggered over to help Damon up and Caroline weakly walked up to Jolene.

After she was sure they had all been knocked out, Jolene turned to Tyler.

"What did you do?" He asked, looking around.

With power and anger coursing through her veins and the dark rush from using such an intense spell Jolene looked at him, her eyes dark.

The power made her physically strong and she grabbed Tyler and slammed him against the side of the R.V.

He tried to move against her hold, but she held him still.

"They're only knocked out momentarily… when they wake up you tell them to get the hell out of town!" Jolene growled inches away from his face.

He looked at her shocked.

"I killed those 2 wolves inside, and if they come back and threaten my friends again… I will kill each and every single one of them." Jolene threatened.

"Jo… I'm sorry, I didn't know they were…" He started to apologize but she cut him off.

She grabbed his upper arms like he had done to her a few nights ago and slammed him hard against the R.V; he groaned in pain.

"You don't get to be sorry Tyler, Caroline and I have been there for you… every single step of the way. And you watched me get shot, and you weren't even going to help Caroline escape when they were torturing her! So you don't get to be sorry. The only reason you're not down on the ground with the rest of the dogs is because I needed someone to deliver the message…" She said, keeping him pinned.

"Jo…" Caroline said cautiously as she walked forward and put her hand on Jolene's arm.

Jolene took a deep breath and tried to calm herself as she turned and looked around.

Stefan and Damon were staring at her in complete disbelief over what just happened.

"You guys should get out…" She looked around at all the bodies on the ground, "Before the dogs wake up."

"Jo wait!" Caroline said.

"I've had a really bad day, and I've been shot. I have to go." Jolene said not turning around.

Damon quickly got in front of her.

"I can't do this right now." Jolene said looking at him.

"We know what's been going on." Damon told her, his eyes intense as he looked at her.

"No you don't." Jolene argued.

"We know you're mom has been trying to get you to kill Damon." Caroline said.

"I have to go." Jolene said.

Damon stepped to the side and curled an arm around her waist, stopping her from walking off.

"Please don't do this. You have to stay away from me." Jolene pleaded looking at him.

"I'm not going to stay away from you." He said, his eyes searching her face.

"You have to, until I get this figured out… because the more I'm around you the more I'm being haunted. You're just going to have to trust me with this." Jolene told him.

"We're your friends, Jo… we just want to help you." Caroline said.

Jolene pushed Damon back and scoffed as she faced Caroline.

"It's great… I disappear and suddenly everybody want to help me. I called you for days because I needed help… and you ignored me, all because you didn't want to tell me that you and Tyler kissed! I don't care that he kissed you, hell, I don't even care if you kissed him back. I needed you, Caroline!" Jolene yelled.

A few tears stung Caroline's eyes as she nodded, "I know… I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, sorry!" She sobbed.

Looking back at Damon she asked, "Did you kill my mom?"

"What?" He asked.

"My mom was killed by a vampire… was it you?" Jolene asked him.

"No." He answered, looking a little hurt.

"Why would you ask me that?" He questioned.

"Because I think things are more complicated now that what I originally thought." Jolene said looking down as she shook her head back and forth.

"Let me help you." Damon offered.

"You can't help me. No one can." Jolene said, shaking her head.

"Jo, don't do this." Damon said, walking closer to her.

"Don't do what? Don't push you away? Why shouldn't i? Isn't that all you keep doing to me?" She asked, getting angry.

"Jolene, we are just trying to help you." Stefan said, finally breaking his silence.

"Well thank you Stefan, but I don't need your help. This doesn't even have a damn thing to do with you, can't you just keep your nose in your own business and stop trying to save the freaking day?" She snapped.

He raised his eyebrows at her outburst.

Rubbing her temples she said, "Oh my god… I am so sorry. I just…" She stopped and looked at Damon.

"I think that I deserve you're guys' trust. I have earned that haven't I? Please, just give me a few more days to figure this out, if I need help I promise I will call you." Jolene said, focusing her attention on Damon.

He didn't want to let her go, but he knew how bad he had hurt her with everything; and he knew she had to still be dealing with watching him kill Jessica, the woman who stopped her car to see if he needed help.

He nodded, but his eyes bore into hers and she knew how much he didn't want to agree with it.

"Thank you." She said as she turned to leave.

After stopping by the hospital she headed back to Alaric's.

"I wondered where you went." He said when she came in the door.

He looked at the sling her arm was in as she dropped her jacket onto her bags of clothes.

"I got shot." Jolene said, looking to the 2 stitched places where the bullet entered and excited her arm.

"How did you get shot?" He asked.

"Some werewolves got Caroline and were torturing her… one of them shot me." Jolene admitted as she sat down on the couch.

She explained more about the night to him.

Then she took a deep breath and said, "I'm pretty sure it's not my mom who's haunting me. I think it's the original Mage that I'm a descendant from…"

She explained the latest nightmare she had –had to him.

"So how do we fix this then?" he asked.

"There's a powerful spell that I could do with some help. Get the Mage to show itself, find out what it wants and why it's here and then try to cast it away. But just like with ghost possession… if I can't cast it away. It will possess me and then there is no way of knowing if I'll survive it." She said.

"Why do all of these options involve the possibility of your death?" Alaric asked running a hand over his hair.

She shrugged.

A few moments later her phone went off with a text from Stefan telling her that Elena and Bonnie were going to be staying with Caroline that night.

* * *

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**A/N- **_**Thanks for reading! Thanks to anyone who has added this story to their favorites or subscribed update alerts!**_

_**I started a new TVD fanfiction titled 'She-Wolf' and if you haven't yet, please check out the story 'Fire and Ice' I've been working on it with my very good friend Mrs E Charlotte, it's posted on my profile. I'd really appreciate it if you'd check them out. ^_^**_

**You all are really my inspiration and keep me writing and updating. It means so much to me when you leave a review and let me know you're reading; even if it's just a few lines. I appreciate it so much, it shows me that there is still an interest in the story. Please take the time to let me know you're reading. ^_^**


	45. Maybe it's Time to Change

**Chapter 45 –Maybe it's Time to Change-**

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Reaching into the backseat of Alaric's car to grab her bag she said, "Thanks again for dropping me off."

"You're welcome." He said as Jolene got out of the car and started down the road to Caroline's.

Taking a deep breath she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

A few moments later Caroline opened the door.

"Jo… hey." Caroline said smiling at her.

"Jo!" Bonnie and Elena said as they walked into the entry way and saw her.

"Hey." She said back as she looked at her 3 best friends.

Bonnie's eyes traveled down to Jolene's bag slung over her shoulder.

"Come to join the slumber party?" Bonnie asked, happy to see Jolene was okay.

Jolene nodded, and walked into the house.

Dropping her bag to the floor she looked up at them with tears in her eyes, "I'm so sorry I just took off, guys. I know I made you all worry and that was terrible of me."

All three of her friends immediately got tears in their eyes from all the trauma of the night and how much they had all been through.

"I'm so sorry. You tried to call me… you tried to reach out and I just… I'm sorry." Bonnie said, as tears started to run down her cheeks.

"I am too. I was so concerned with everything in my own life… and I wasn't there for you at all." Elena apologized.

Caroline nodded as she started to cry to and the four girls all hugged each other.

After they all changed into their pajamas, they all sat down on Caroline's bed.

"Tyler came by to apologize." Caroline admitted looking at Jolene.

"Surprise." Jolene said with her eyebrows raised.

"You'll be happy to know that I told him we're no longer friends, and then I slammed the door in his face." Caroline said.

"Even though… he didn't look near as shocked as when you called him a dog!" Caroline continued.

"You called Tyler a dog?" Elena asked looking to Jolene.

"I had just used my Mage powers and I was so upset and angry and I just... kind of took it all out on him. Not that he didn't deserve a little of it, but he didn't deserve what I said to him. I just get this like, dark rush when I use a lot of my powers and I'm not really me. It's hard to explain." She told them, feeling guilty over how she had acted towards Tyler.

"Thank you for coming to save me." Caroline said looking to Jolene.

"We're best friends… I couldn't just let you get tortured and killed." Jolene said.

"It felt pretty good when you poured that wolfs bane water down the throat of the one who was shooting me with vervain." Caroline admitted.

They all talked for a little while longer and Jolene said, "I'm really glad we did this, the 4 of us back together again."

"Why do you sound sad then?" Elena asked.

Jolene looked up at them with tears in her eyes, "Because I think it may be the last time we get to…"

"Jo, we all know about your mom." Elena offered.

"It's not my mom." Jolene said.

Then she explained to them about the origin of the Mage blood and how her mom said in a dream that it was the Mage responsible for their blood line who was trying to get into her world.

"Oh my god." Bonnie breathed out.

"I'm going to need your help with the spell to try and cast the Mage away." Jolene said looking to Bonnie.

"Of course, whatever you need." Bonnie agreed.

"I want to be there." Elena said.

Jolene nodded and looked at Caroline. "I'll need you there to… if we can't cast it away, it's going to possess me and Bonnie will have to do an exorcism type ritual, and I won't be myself… so you'll have to hold me down."

"Okay." Caroline said, as she started to cry again.

"We might need Stefan to… I don't know how strong it will be if it possess me." Jolene admitted.

"I'm sure he'll help us." Elena assured her.

Then Caroline looked around biting her lip, when no one mentioned it she said, "Why me and Stefan? What about Damon?"

"Damon can't know… at least not yet. Even if he does know, he can't be there. For some reason this Mage is hell bent on killing him, it's too risky." Jolene said

"Isn't this going to be dangerous for you?" Bonnie asked her.

"I don't' want to lie to you guys, you're my best friends. There's a pretty high possibility that I won't' make it through this." She admitted.

Elena gasped and Caroline cried harder.

"I'm sorry… but you were going to find out." Jolene told them.

"And you don't want Damon to know you're going to do this?" Caroline asked.

"Not until I've made up my mind." Jolene said.

"About what?" Bonnie asked her.

"If I told Damon, and he found out I could die…" Her voice trailed off.

"He'll force you to drink his blood." Elena filled in her eyes widening.

Jolene nodded.

"But that's good, because then you'll just be like me." Caroline offered.

"I don't know if that's what I want. It's my decision and if he finds out, he won't let me make the decision myself…" Jolene said.

"No! You can't! You can't just go into this thing with the possibility of dying! I'll make you drink my blood." Caroline yelled.

"No you won't." Jolene said looking to Caroline.

"Yes I will." Caroline argued.

"You won't. Because you're my friend and you love me, and you'd let me make my own decision." Jolene pointed out.

"You don't want to be a vampire do you?" Elena asked her.

She recognized the look in Jolene's eyes; it was the same look she got when she thought about herself becoming a vampire.

"No, I don't." Jolene admitted.

She saw the devastated look on her friends faces, "But I haven't decided anything for sure…"

**~(A few days later)~**

Jolene wrote a note to Alaric when he was work, thanking him for all of his help and for letting her stay there.

She gathered her bags and headed back to her house, where she sat and contemplated the possibilities of the future.

It was around 8pm when Caroline showed up.

"Bonnie's already in the woods, Stefan and Elena are on their way there." Caroline said as the girls left to head to the woods where they were set up for the ritual.

Jolene stared out the window as tears started to fall down her face.

"Wait." Jolene said shaking her head back and forth.

"What?" Caroline asked, looking over at her with tears falling down her own face.

"We need to make a stop first." Jolene told her.

"Hey…" Jolene said as Damon opened the door to his house.

He looked at her with a slightly pained look on his face.

"Did you get it all taken care of?" He asked.

"No, but it will be by the end of tonight." Jolene said as she followed him into the living room.

"Meaning?" He questioned as he picked up a glass and drank some of the alcohol from it.

"Meaning that I'm about to work with Bonnie on a very powerful spell to fix it, and I had to see you first." Jolene told him.

He watched her closely knowing she wasn't telling him the whole truth.

"What aren't you telling me Jolene?" He asked.

Looking down at the floor she looked back up at him, tears stinging her eyes.

"I love you so much." She said, a few of the tears falling down her pale cheeks.

Sitting the glass down he walked over to her, "I love you too." He said.

"There's a chance that I won't make it through tonight." She finally said.

His eyes grew dark as he heard her.

"I had to see you." She said as she reached up and held onto his cheeks, pulling his face down to hers.

As their mouths moved together she could taste the liquor on his tongue and he wrapped his arms around her pulling her against him.

Pulling back he rested his forehead against hers, and watched as more tears slid down her face.

"You… know, I can't let you die." Damon said his voice quiet.

"You could, but I'm well aware that you won't." She admitted.

"You don't want to be a vampire…" Damon said, tears burnt at his own eyes.

"No I don't. But I love you." She said her voice weak as she spoke.

"I won't lose you… I can't." Damon told her.

"I know." She whispered.

"It's selfish of me." He said, his grip tightened on her sides as he held onto her.

She was silent.

"I know what I'll be doing… I know what I'm making you give up." He said, a tear running down his cheek as he spoke.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"But I have to have you… because I love you, and I'm just that selfish." He said as he held into her cheeks and looked into her eyes as he spoke.

He watched her closely as she took in a deep shuddering breath and looked back at him.

Letting go of her, he bit down on his wrist and pulled her against him with his other arm.

With tears still streaming down her face she grabbed his arm with her shaky hands and brought his wrist to her mouth, closing her eyes as she opened her mouth and he pushed his bleeding wrist against it.

He held her still until he was sure she had gotten enough of the blood.

She looked down at the floor and wiped her mouth, crying against his shirt as he hugged her and kept his arms tight around her.

"You can't come with me…" she said.

"Yes I am." He argued.

"I'm sorry, but no… you can't come with me." She said, as she pulled a vervain tranquilizer from her pocket and emptied it into his side.

She looked at the floor where he was unconscious from the vervain injection.

"I'm sorry… but it's too dangerous. The Mage wants you dead." She said as she dried her eyes.

She paused and drank the rest of the alcohol in the glass he had been drinking from, she swished it around in her mouth before swallowing it.

"Well?" Caroline asked as Jolene got into the passenger seat of her car.

"Let's go they're all already there." She said.

"How'd it go?" Caroline questioned as Jolene wiped her eyes and wiped her wet hands on her jeans.

"I vervained him so he couldn't follow us." Jolene admitted.

"So he didn't make you drink his blood?" Caroline asked.

"I took his blood." Jolene admitted, her eyes closed as she spoke.

"I promise Jo, if something goes wrong and you end up dying I will help you with everything! Stefan helped me and I turned out alright… I only had 1 incident." Caroline said, thinking about the carnival worker she had killed at the school carnival.

Jolene stayed quiet as she really was starting to regret taking his blood.

"Let's not tell anyone about me taking his blood." Jolene pleaded.

"Okay." Caroline agreed as they exited the car and headed into a clearing in the woods.

Elena hugged Jolene as soon as she saw her.

"Are you reading?" Bonnie asked her.

"Let's just get this over with." Jolene responded.

Bonnie had a circle drawn on the ground with 6 candles around it.

She took Jolene's hand in hers, squeezing it before Bonnie used her powers to light the candles.

The girls chanted together, then Bonnie took a knife and cut the palm of Jolene's hand; they walked around the circle letting the blood fall in every lit candle.

After some more chanting they backed up and the flames jumped up higher than they stood.

Jolene's eyes widened as a man now stood in the center of the circle. He was in a floor-length hooded robe; his face wasn't visible under it.

"So my secrets out… I'm not really your mother." He said, even though he was tall and appeared to be thin and frail under the robe, his voice was extremely deep.

He didn't even sound human.

"Why are you here?" Jolene asked, trying not to show her fear of the creature standing in front of her.

He started to walk closer, but the flames shot up from the candles and he stopped.

"To save your life Jolene." The Mage said, he nodded his head while he spoke.

"Making it easy on us, Damon?" The Mage questioned.

Jolene spun around to see Damon and Alaric.

"What are you both doing here?" Jolene asked.

"You come to me for help, and then leave a note saying you're running off to do the ritual?" Alaric pointed out.

"I told you I was coming with you." Damon said.

Jolene shook her head.

"I thought by taking the form of your mother I might be able to get through to you, but I was mistaken… perhaps I should have taken on the form of a deceased one you were closer to than your mother." He said, his voice almost seemed to shake the earth beneath them as he spoke.

Jolene's eyes widened as the Mage transformed into Vicki's form.

"Will this form get the point across well enough? You had to kill her… your best friend because of him." The Mage said.

"I know what you're trying to do and it won't work. You're not going to break me down with this, I have dealt with Vicki's loss." Jolene said confidently; even though it was hurting her to see Vicki's form, and the Mage speaking with her friends voice.

"He has hurt every single one of you… in one way or another; why do all of you continue to let him live? To keep causing pain and suffering?" The Mage questioned.

"I know all about the past… you caused your own amount of pain and suffering that's why you were killed." Jolene pointed out, standing her ground.

"Any why me? There's 2 other vampires here." Damon pointed out, looking over to Caroline and Stefan.

"Oh, I'd gladly kill them too. But they aren't my concern… you are." The mage said.

Taking a few steps closer to where everyone else was standing Damon asked, "Why?"

"You will be the end of her. It's simple, you won't ever let her be. The only way you can keep her is to turn her." The Mage said.

"How do you even know that's going to happen?" Stefan asked.

"I'm a Mage, one of 6 original Mages. My powers and abilities are weakened on the other side, but I'm still a master of the elements. I can pull and bend energy in my favor." The Mage said still speaking through Vicki's body.

"Congratulations. Doesn't answer the question." Damon snapped.

"You've seen her future…" Alaric said remembering the story of the original Mage's seeing their future, and procreating to make sure their bloodline lived on.

"Yes, and with the path you are on right now Jolene. You will become a monster." The Mage said.

"Why does it even matter if I turn into a vampire?" Jolene asked, her voice had a twinge of hysteria in it.

"It's not what you want… you've made that very clear. You have no desire what so ever to become a vampire." The Mage said, as he looked up to the sky above them.

"And I also have no desire to kill him, but that doesn't matter to you." Jolene pointed out.

"Jolene Proctor… you are the last of my descendants. The very last one… I have seen your future. No family… no kids, just the curse of being the living dead. All because of him." The Mage said pointing a finger to Damon.

"You want me to carry on the bloodline? That's why you're doing all of this!" Jolene gasped.

"There are always at least 2 possible outcomes from each deciscon and each action made… I can see the future for the path you are on now… and the alternative." He answered.

"The alternative?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes, her only chance of living a happy human life is to get rid of Damon Salvatore. Once she is rid of him, she'll leave Mystic Falls forever. Attend college in California and meet a pre-med student… fall in love. Have 2 kids… live a happy and long life…" The mage continued.

"Shut up!" Jolene yelled.

"Why? The thought of a happy life to much to bear when you're stuck in this town, with a vampire boyfriend?" The Mage asked.

Jolene's head pounded from the slew of emotions shooting through her.

"The most important thing to me is continuing my legacy… I can't let it end with you. But, I see how determined you are… and somehow you've managed to take control of your body back from me once. So I'm willing to strike a deal." He said.

"Not interested." Jolene snapped.

Bonnie looked over at her and then back to the Mage.

"Not with you Jolene, with you…" He said looking to Damon.

"I won't kill you." The Mage said.

"Why the change of heart?" Damon questioned.

"Leave. Now, flee town and never contact her again. Ever, let her have the full life she deserves. Full of human experiences and happiness she could never have with you. If you truly love her, you'd only want the best for her. Can you honestly tell me you're the best option for her?" The Mage said.

Damon didn't responded but he stood his ground.

The Mage took in a deep breath and then changed back into his robed and hooded form.

"But you're to selfish to give her the chance at a life she deserves, and that is why you must die. You will never let her go." The Mage said, his deep gravelly voice almost making them all jump.

"Well, since you're not caving… I don't see why we waste any more time." He said waving his hand.

All her friends fell to the ground.

"Relax, they're all sleeping and will be fine. All except Damon." The Mage said as he waved his again and the candles burned out.

Jolene's body shook from fear as he stepped outside of the circle and now just stood inches away from her.

"You lose either way Mage. I drank vampire blood, so either way… whether you just get cast away, or you possess me and we both die… you still lose, your bloodline will never live on." Jolene confronted him.

"It will. You're assuming once I take hold of you that you'll be able to overpower me long enough to kill yourself. You've already fought me once, you're a lot stronger than I anticipated. But I won't make that mistake again… we'll kill him and then I'll keep you safe until the vampire blood is out of your system." He told her.

"What makes you so sure I won't take someone else's blood… I have more vampire than human friends." Jolene explained.

"With him gone forever, you'll have no reason to become a vampire. It's simple, I don't know why you insist on trying to make this harder and more complicated. It is what it is." He responded.

Jolene looked back to her unconscious friends her eyes stopping on Damon before she took a deep breath and started to chant the spell needed to banish the Mage from the living world.

"You're not strong enough." He said, but his voice revealed how hard he was fighting against her Magic.

He pushed against her spell and started to try to possess her again, Jolene fought with all of her might.

It was only a few minutes that passed but it felt like years as they continued their struggle.

The Mage let out a low growl that made the leaves on the trees above them shake. He hadn't anticipated Jolene to be so strong, but he could see she was getting drained.

His powers were also diminishing from being in the human world and not having a body to take over.

"Jo! Tell me what to do!" Elena shouted as she stood to her feet and looked around at the strong winds swirling through the trees around them.

The mage had used his powers to mainly incapacitate the vampires, so Elena didn't hardly get hit with any of it.

Elena ran over and tried to revive Bonnie, realizing she was awake the Mage looked at Jolene before he possessed Elena.

"No!" Jolene screamed.

"Your friend's blood is on your hands now." The Mage spoke through Elena's body.

Jolene tried to use her powers on the Mage, but she had used too much as it was. She watched in horror as the Mage grew stronger from having a physical flesh and blood form now and started to use its power to kill Damon.

"Stop! You want me… fine, take me!" Jolene screamed, knowing the Mage would kill Elena trying to kill Damon through her.

She stopped and turned around and looked at Jolene through Elena's dark brown eyes.

"I'm done with the fighting, please. Let Elena go… take me." Jolene said, her green eyes sad as she spoke.

"If you're lying… I will kill every single one of them… not just Damon." He warned.

"I understand." Jolene said, tears sliding down her cheeks.

Bonnie woke up just in time to see the Mage take over Jolene.

Elena looked around, and then back down to herself she couldn't believe she had just been possessed.

Jolene started to rise to her feet, but Stefan had finally came to and charged her holding her down.

Bonnie crawled over to where they were and put her hands on Jolene's head, saying the spell to cast the Mage away.

Stefan groaned as Jolene's body was a little physically stronger than normal because of the Mage possessing her.

Elena ran over and dropped to the ground with them, trying to hold Jolene still while Bonnie focused on continuing the spell.

Caroline came to and looked around.

"Move Elena!" Caroline instructed as she took Elena's spot helping hold Jolene down while Bonnie continued to do the spell.

A few moments later Alaric came to, walking past Damon's body and standing by Elena.

Finally Bonnie stopped chanting and looked down to Jolene's body as she had stopped moving.

"I will not let you end my bloodline." The Mage said, his voice weak as he now stood beside them, his black hooded robe was becoming see through.

"It's too late, you've been banished." Bonnie said as some blood trickled from her nose.

The Mage waved his hand, and everyone fell to the ground passed out again.

Bonnie was right, the spell had worked and he could feel himself being forced from the living world.

With his last bit of strength he focused on a branch high up on the tree above where Damon's body lay unconscious and severely weakened from the magic he had used against him.

Jolene woke up just in time to see the branch fall from the tree and stab right through Damon's stomach.

"No!" She yelled, as she weakly pulled herself to her feet almost tripping over Caroline as she stumbled over to Damon.

She knew he was already injured from the mage trying to kill him with magic.

"Damon! Wake up!" She yelled as she smacked his face but he didn't respond.

Down on her knees she pulled his head onto her bent legs as she sat on the ground.

Reaching down she grabbed the branch and tried to pull it out of him so the wood wouldn't be weakening him even further, but it had fell with such force that it was stuck all the way through him and the end of the branch was in the ground under his back.

Using all of her strength she pulled the branch from his stomach, tears streaming down her face when he didn't respond at all.

"Come on, Damon." Jolene said as she pushed her wrist against his lips.

Looking around she snapped the branch that had stabbed him and closed her eyes as she dug the jagged edge into her wrist and pulled it, opening an area.

Blood immediately started to come to the surface.

"Drink… come on. Wake up." She cried as she pushed her bleeding wrist against his lips.

Once some of her blood ran into his mouth, he started to come to. His eyes opened and he was so weak and close to death that everything around him was blurry.

He didn't even know it was Jolene's blood he was drinking.

She gasped in pain as he grabbed onto her arm and bit down on her wrist, but she didn't even try to pull her arm away from him as he drank from her.

With the Mage gone his spell was broken on everyone else and they started to wake up.

Finally Damon let go of her wrist and she looked up to everyone else.

"You guys okay?" She asked, her voice weak.

They all nodded and looked around trying to figure out what happened.

Damon groaned as he sat up and turned around facing her.

"What happened?" He asked her, he had been knocked out the whole time.

"We made it…" Jolene said, managing a weak smile as she held her sore, bitten wrist against her stomach.

* * *

**A/N- Thanks for reading! I really hope you all liked the chapter. Kind of can't believe I'm already 45 chapters into this story. ^_^**

**I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has added my stories to your favorites or subscribed for alerts!**

**If you're still reading and interested in the story please leave a review and let me know. I focus my attention and time on writing for and updating my most popular stories with the strongest intrest. **


	46. The Road Worth Taking

**Chapter 46 – The Road Worth Taking-**

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After showering and blow drying her hair she walked out into her bedroom and looked around, a look of sadness on her face.

Caroline had dropped her back off at her house nearly an hour ago and she had hoped Damon would show up, but he'd barely said 3 words to her since the woods.

She looked down to her green and dark pink plaid sleeping shorts, and looked around her empty room.

Sighing and knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep without seeing Damon, she crossed her room and opened her closet; she pulled out a dark blue overnight bag with skull designs on it and threw her clothes for the next day in it.

She pulled a thin dark gray jacket from a hanger and slid it on over her dark pink tank top, and looked down her at pile of shoes deciding on a comfortable pair of sparkly green flats.

Getting into her car she drove to Damon's house, she raised her fist to knock on the door but then decided against it and opened the door.

She walked in and looked around the empty living room, after peeking into the kitchen she headed up the stairs towards Damon's room.

The door was cracked slightly so she pushed it open and looked in, he way lying on his bed in just a pair of boxers, his hair was wet from the shower he had just taken.

"Hey…" She said, when he didn't respond.

Dropping her bag on the floor and shutting the door behind her she crossed the room and crawled onto his bed with him.

"You not gonna talk to me?" She asked as he stared up at the ceiling and didn't respond to her.

She kicked her shoes and off and slid off her gray jacket dropping it to the floor on top of her shoes.

"What do you want me to say to you?" He asked, still not looking over at her.

"I don't know. Maybe, I'm glad you're here." She replied raising an eyebrow at his somber mood.

He didn't respond, she sighed and looked down to her wrist that he had bitten earlier in the night.

She ran her fingers over the teeth marks, wincing as her skin was still sore.

"Please talk to me." She said, her voice quieter than before.

"Why California?" He asked.

"What?" Jolene asked, confused.

"The Mage… said if I wasn't here you'd move away, go to college in California." Damon said.

"That was our plan." Jolene said, as she continued to look at her wrist.

"Who's plan?" He questioned, still not looking at her.

"Mine and Vicki's plan… she was going to graduate a year ahead of me so she was supposed to get another job and save all her money, I was going to get a job my senior year of high school and after I graduated we were going to move to California. I planned on going to college there and she didn't know what she wanted to do." Jolene admitted, her eyes growing dark as she started to think about how Vicki would be missing out on so much.

"You're not planning on California now?" He questioned.

"No." she admitted.

"Why?" He asked her.

"Mystic Falls isn't so bad, I've got a house here and friends and…" She began to list her reasons but he cut her off.

"And what? Me?" He asked her.

"What's this about, Damon?" She asked.

"You're just going to pretend like there isn't another life out there… a better life?" He asked.

"He was lying." Jolene said confidently.

"What if he wasn't?" Damon asked her.

"So what if he wasn't? Who says that's the better option?" She questioned.

"Isn't it?" He asked.

"A pre-med guy? Really? My dad is a doctor… no way would I spend my life with one… clearly they cannot be trusted around the nurses." Jolene said, referring to her dad's affair with Marlaina.

He sighed, not amused with her joke.

"I don't know what you want me to say. I'm 17… I don't want kids… I don't want some pre-med guy from California. My life is here… with you." She explained her logic.

"Have you seriously sat down and thought about it. Obviously you've thought about becoming a vampire. Have you thought about a human life; kids, marriage… any of that?" He asked.

She bit her bottom lip.

"I'm 17." She repeated.

"So you haven't." He said.

"Not really. Kids, marriage? It's the last thing on my mind." She admitted to him.

"Right now, but what about 5 years from now? Or 10 years down the road?" He questioned.

"How am I supposed to know? I'm not a full Mage, I can't see the future." She said with a shrug.

"I know what you heard upset you…" she began to reason but her cut her off.

"I don't get upset." He remarked.

"Yes, you do. and I get why it did hurt you. But, honestly I don't see what the big deal is right now. We made it through the night, possibly a small victory but I'm happy." She said.

"You're happy because you're still human." He pointed out.

"I'm not going to lie to you, yeah. That is one of the reasons that I'm happy but it's not a big deal Damon." She argued with him, wondering if Stefan was home and listening to the argument.

"He was right, I'm not going to let you go." Damon said, thinking back to what the Mage said.

"I know… and I don't want you to. I want you, can't you just chill out and be happy about that right now?" She asked as she looked back down to her bitten wrist, thinking about how it was the first time he had bit her.

"I'm thrilled about everything…" He said sarcastically.

"What do you want me to do? I could have easily gone to the woods without telling you anything… but I didn't! I came to you, knowing that you'd give me your blood. What more could you possibly want?" She questioned, starting to get really upset with the way he was acting.

"I want a good life for you, and I want you to have everything that you want… to get everything you deserve. To have a life full of human experiences… and that's just the beginning." He said.

Her eyes grew watery as she listened to him and stayed silent.

"I don't want you to have to give up everything for me." He finished.

"I'm not afraid of giving up everything; I don't care about never having kids or any of that. I've already picked you over it all because you are more important to me than any of that… I don't look at it like I'm giving up everything, I'm looking at it as the fact that I get you forever." She admitted.

He finally looked over at her.

"If that was the truth it wouldn't have taken so long for you to decide to come to me before you and Bonnie worked that spell." He said.

"I'm scared, okay? The idea of being a vampire scares the crap out of me, I have enough issues as a human… and I saw what Vicki turned into. She had no control what so ever, and she even had Stefan trying to help her." Jolene said.

"And Caroline is doing absolutely amazing as one, but she was stable as a human. A little self-centered and insecure but stable. I heard Stefan tell her that once you're turned everything you are is magnified. I don't think it's so much to ask to let me become a remotely stable human before we turn me into a vampire." She said, knowing she was sounding a lot more confident than she felt about it; she still didn't want to be a vampire.

Laying down she scooted against his side, "Can you accept that?" she asked.

"No." He responded after a few moments.

"Why?" She asked raising her head and looking at him.

"Because if everything Rose and Katherine said is true, Klaus is coming here. I don't want you to be human… you need to be stronger." He said.

Her stomach jumped from nerves at his words and how serious he sounded.

"Exactly, so we need my powers as a witch because he is coming here." Jolene argued.

"You're just making excuses." He argued back.

"I'm sorry, I should have just stayed home." She breathed out as she slid out of the bed and started towards the door of his room.

Once she was out in the hallway she realized she had left her shoes and jacket in his room as she wondered where she was going to go.

She stopped and turned around, debating with herself on whether she should go back in the room and get her shoes.

"I'm sorry." Damon said from behind her.

She spun around and faced him, her eyes wide from surprise.

She was silent in response to his apology.

"I am glad that you're here." He said, looking at her as he spoke.

"Well, you don't act like you're very happy." She said as she defensively crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at how he had been treating her.

"I am, Jo. I wanted to go see you, but I didn't think you wanted to see me." He admitted.

"Well I did, but now I'm not so sure." She said, still really upset at him.

Leaning down he kissed her, slowly she uncrossed her arms and held onto him, as he pulled her tight against him.

"I'm sorry I vervained you." She said as she broke their kiss and looked at him.

"I was just trying to keep you safe because I knew you were going to come after me… and I'd just taken your blood, and if you had gotten killed…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes met his.

He gave a small smile before he said, "Just don't do it again."

"I'll try not to… I forgot you had been taking vervain to build up immunity against it. Should have taken 2 tranquilizers instead of just 1." She said, with a small laugh.

Damon looked at her, "About that… you were staying with Ric?"

"I literally had nowhere to go… my car broke down not too far away from his apartment and I just kind of ended up there. But if anyone asks… he's my uncle." Jolene said smiling.

Damon shook his head and as he looked at her.

**~(Next day)~**

Jolene changed into a pair of jeans, boots, and a shirt with a thin long black sweater she left open.

She and Damon headed downstairs.

Stefan looked between them, "Jolene, I didn't know you were here." He said with a friendly smile.

She nodded, "Yeah… I got here last night… I just let myself in because you guys never knock at my house. You just show up somewhere."

Stefan laughed and they told him they were heading to the grill.

They sat and ate their breakfast when Damon saw Sherriff Forbes come into the grill.

Once they were done eating he said, "I need to talk to Liz before we go."

"Okay." Jolene said as she stood from the table with him.

He kissed her before he headed off to talk to Liz.

Jolene picked her purse up from the booth and looked over to see her dad standing up from his own table.

She nodded and waved; he laid his tip money down on the table and headed over to her.

"Morning dad." Jolene said.

"Good Moring, Jo." He responded as he tucked his wallet back in his pocket.

It had been a few months since he had given her the vervain filled necklace and new cellphone.

Since then things had been pretty good between the two of them.

He looked over to where Liz and Damon were talking.

"Why are you here with Damon?" He asked, trying to keep his tone friendly.

"Because we were getting breakfast together… why are you asking me that?" She asked.

"I saw you kiss him." Marshall said.

"Well, your fault for spying on me, I guess." She said confused.

"Aren't you still dating Tyler Lockwood?" he asked, equally confused.

"No… we broke up." Jolene answered.

He sighed and looked down to the aged wood floor of the grill.

"What?" Jolene asked, not sure what to make of his reaction.

"You were doing so good when you were with Tyler… got yourself all cleaned up, grades up… you even had a job." He pointed out.

"Dad, look at me. Do I look like I'm using or anything?" Jolene asked him with an arched eyebrow.

"No, you look great." He admitted.

"Then what's the problem?" she asked.

"I don't want to start a fight." He said, his voice low.

"Well… that's never really stopped you before." Jolene said, as she looked around and saw Damon leaned up against the bar looking at her.

"He's too old for you… and I know that you like him, Jo. But every time you get back around him you get yourself all messed up." He admitted.

She tried to remain calm, she knew by the way he was talking and trying to gingerly word things that he was just worried.

"He's not too old for me… and I'm doing good." She said.

"I know you're doing well, and I'm so proud of you… I just really don't agree with you seeing him again." Marshall said.

Jolene took a deep breath and tried to keep her anger in check.

"Dad, I know you're just worried about me. But you don't get a say in who I date. I love him and I'm happy with him… so you're just going to have to accept it." Jolene said, her voice calm.

"I just hope you're making the right decision…" He said with a nod.

"Bye, dad." Jolene said as she started walking towards Damon.

"Hey…" She said as she leaned against the bar beside him.

"Well… I guess since he's on the council and I'm sure wearing vervain, I can't compel him to accept me again." Damon said, a smirk toying at the corner of his mouth.

She looked at him confused, before her green eyes widened "Oh my god… you compelled him to accept us before? That's why he was so cool with you being over all the time… even at night!"

"Guilty." Damon admitted.

* * *

**A/N**_**- Thank you all for reading!**_

**On my profile is a link to my Polyvore account where I make sets to go along with this story and a few of my others.**

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	47. Oh, Great It's the Witch

**Chapter 47 –Oh, Great. It's the Witch -**

* * *

A few mornings later Jolene was headed down the stairs at Damon's house, he was still upstairs when she heard a knock on the door.

She opened the door and saw Alaric.

"Hey." She said with a smile as she stood to the side so he could walk in.

"You're here pretty early." He observed.

Jolene let out a small laugh as she shut the door behind him, "Yeah…" She said her voice trailing off.

She had been staying with Damon since the night they had defeated the Mage.

"So you have a way to kill Elijah?" He asked her.

"Yeah, John Gilbert gave Damon this dagger and ash…" Jolene said as she led him into the living room.

"Where is Damon?" Alaric asked her.

"He just got out of the shower, he should be down any minute." Jolene answered, as she looked down at the table where they had the dagger and ash sitting.

Alaric awkwardly cleared his throat, when he realized Jolene had been there all night.

"Ummm. Anyways… John told Damon that you have to dip the dagger in this ash which is supposedly the remains of an old oak tree that dates back to the Originals…" Jolene said.

"If there's any truth in that." Damon said, as he walked in the room buttoning up his shirt.

"You think it's a set up?" Alaric questioned.

"Probably." Jolene agreed.

"It could be, the guys a weasel. Wouldn't put anything past him…" Damon said.

"What are you doing today?" Damon asked him.

"Jenna and I got roped into doing this Historical Society thing at the Lockwood's." Alaric told him.

"Which is where Elijah will be." Damon said, as he looked over at Jolene.

"What? No… I'm not going." Jolene said, as she sat down on the couch.

"You have to." Damon said.

"And why is that?" Jolene questioned.

"Well, I'm not going to take Ric as my date." Damon remarked.

"Do you know how many other people my age will be there? None! I don't want to spend the day walking around my ex-boyfriends house mingling with other high schooler's parents." Jolene argued.

**~(Later that day)~**

Jolene looked down to her dark green dress, and over to Damon as they walked towards the propped open doors of the Lockwood mansion.

"I can't believe you talked me into this…" Jolene said as she stopped walking.

"Come on, it won't be that bad." Damon said.

"Yes it will be that bad. Plus, it's not smart going after Elijah at a public event." Jolene pointed out.

"I'm not going after him… I want to know his endgame before we kill him." Damon said.

Reaching down he grabbed her hand, she looked down and laced her fingers with his as he pulled her towards the house.

"Worse than I thought…" Jolene breathed under her breath as she heard the soft music playing and looked around to see no one near her age.

"Jolene…" Jenna greeted as she walked up to them.

Her eyes went to their hands and then between Jolene's and Damon's faces, "What are you doing here?" She questioned.

"We're here to see the new author in town." Damon said; Elijah had been pretending to be an author writing a book over the town to get information from people.

"Oh…" She said, looking back to Jolene with a questioning look on her face.

"We're big fans." Jolene said, nodding.

"Uh-huh…" Jenna said as walked past them, patting Jolene on the shoulder.

"Damon! What a surprise!" Carol Lockwood said as she saw him.

Damon pulled Jolene with him, and Carol looked down at their intertwined fingers.

"Carol, hi." Damon greeted with a smile.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Jolene." Carol said looking at her with a small, but slightly confused smile.

"It's good to see you." Jolene said politely, with a smile.

"There's not anyone else from the school here, I don't think." Carol observed looking around.

"Yeah, I've noticed that to…" Jolene said, nodding.

"Oh! Elijah, I want you to meet Damon Salvatore, and this is Jolene Proctor." Carol introduced them.

"Both the Salvatore's and Proctors are founding families of Mystic Falls." Carol said.

Elijah looked back and forth between them, and then back to Carol.

"Nice to meet you, Elijah." Jolene said politely, keeping up the act of having just met him.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Proctor." He responded politely.

Then he and Damon exchanged hellos; all of them continuing to act like they didn't know each other in front of Carol.

"Jolene, could I have a word?" Carol asked.

"Sure." Jolene said as she pulled her hands from Damon's and walked away with Carol.

"I wasn't aware you and Damon were… back together." Carol said.

"Yeah, it happened pretty recently." Jolene said.

"I was holding out hope you and Tyler might patch things up." Caroline admitted her voice soft.

"How have you been?" Jolene asked changing the subject.

"I've been doing pretty good… can I ask you something?" Carol asked.

"I guess." Jolene responded tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

"Tyler has been very… distant lately. Is there something going on I should know about? He doesn't talk to me… and with Mason disappearing, I've really only ever seen him talk to you." Carol admitted.

"I'm sorry, but even if something was up with him… I wouldn't know. We haven't really spoken in a while." Jolene said, feeling bad for lying to her.

"I just worry about him since Richard's death." Carol admitted.

"I do too." Jolene said, looking down.

Even though Tyler had appeared to have sided with the werewolves who invaded the town she had felt bad for the way she had treated him.

Carol looked around the party and excused herself to mingle some more with the other guests.

"Jolene." John said as he walked up to her.

"You're still in town?" Jolene asked with an irritated sigh.

"I know you don't like me… but I am here to help Elena." He told her.

"And why are you talking to me?" Jolene questioned looking around trying to see where Damon went.

"I just think that you should be careful." He said, his voice low.

"Excuse me, is that some kind of threat?" Jolene asked facing him.

"No… I mean be careful with Damon. You know very well what he is…" John said.

"What do you want?" Jolene asked.

"You're one of Elena's best friends… I just don't want to see any more innocent lives lost." He said, as he glanced around the room.

"Damon wouldn't hurt me." Jolene said, her voice strong.

"You sound like you really believe that." John observed.

"I do." she said, her eyes slightly narrowed at him.

"Then what's this?" John questioned as he grabbed her arm revealing the still healing bite mark on her wrist.

She had rolled the sleeves up on her jacket a little while before when it started to get warm in the house.

"It's not what you think… I can guarantee that." Jolene said, pulling her sleeves back down to cover it.

"So, he didn't bite you?" John questioned.

"He was injured and I…" her voice trailed off and her eyes narrowed at him again, "I don't owe you an explanation." She finished.

"Your father is on the council…" John said leaning in closer to her.

Jolene looked at him, her green eyes dark.

"The council that Damon is running since Mayor Lockwood died. You remember Richard Lockwood don't you? He's dead because of you and that stupid Gilbert device." Jolene snapped back at him.

She crossed the room and followed Damon and Elijah into the study.

"Where's Elena?" Elijah questioned them.

"At her parent's lake house with Stefan, she's safe." Jolene told him as she pulled the door shut behind her.

"We're having a bit of a werewolf problem in town." Damon told him.

"Oh yeah I heard about that…" Elijah said as he ran his fingers over the back of a leather chair.

"I sent a witch to drop them… but someone beat him to it." Elijah said looking over to Jolene.

"That's a very powerful spell for a witch, especially one so young." Elijah said, looking at her intently.

"Well, they tortured my best friend and shot me… they had it coming." Jolene said, hoping no one else knew about her mage power especially an original.

"Why are you here?" Damon asked him.

"Have a nice day." Elijah said to the two of them as he turned to leave the room Damon ran past and got in front of him.

"Why are you here?" Damon asked again.

In an instant Elijah had Damon pinned to the wall by his neck.

Jolene gasped, "Try anything Jolene and I'll tear his heart out." Elijah warned.

Jolene crossed the room and stood beside them, watching as demon tried to grab onto Elijah's throat but it had no effect and Elijah broke his hand.

"Young vampires, all so arrogant. How dare you come in here and challenge me?" Elijah said, effortlessly keeping Damon pinned.

"You can't kill me man, it's not part of the deal." Damon said his voice raspy.

Damon and Jolene were both on the list of Elena's friends to keep protected as part of the deal she had made with Elijah.

"Silence." Elijah said.

Grabbing a pencil off the desk, he stabbed Damon in the neck with it.

"Stop!" Jolene yelled as blood started to spew from the wound as Damon pulled the pencil from his skin groaning in pain.

Jolene rushed to his side as he leaned over the desk holding onto his injured neck.

"I'm an Original. Show a little respect." Elijah said as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket wiping the blood from his hand and handing it to Damon.

"The moment you cease to be of use to me, you're dead. So you should do what I say, and stop challenging me.

Jolene and Damon watched as he left the room.

**~()~**

"Hey, I'm running by Caroline's. They've got Luka and we're going to find out what he knows about Elijah." Jolene said as she walked into the living room to see Damon sitting in a chair.

"How are you gonna find out anything? Torture?" He questioned.

"No… Bonnie used a spell, kind of like a truth serum but it might take both me and her to do the spell if he resists really bad." Jolene answered as she picked her purse up from the couch.

"How's your neck?" Jolene asked pausing in the room before she left.

"Sore." He said with a sigh as he took a drink from his glass of alcohol.

"I'll call you when we know something." Jolene said, as she leaned down and kissed him before she left.

At Caroline's, Jolene walked in the living room where Luka lay unconscious on the floor.

Caroline was bringing an arm full of candles into the room.

"Hey, sorry I just got your message a little while ago." Jolene said as she dropped to her knees beside Bonnie on the floor.

"We called you like almost an hour ago." Jeremy pointed out.

"I know, but I was at the Historical Society event at the Lockwood house." Jolene admitted, motioning to the dress she was wearing.

"Are you kidding? Why were you there? No one our age goes to those things…" Caroline said as she sat down with the candles.

"I know, but Elijah was there so Damon dragged me along." Jolene admitted a she helped Bonnie place the candles around Luka's body.

"Oh yeah? How'd it go?" Jeremy questioned.

"Not so good… Damon got stabbed in the neck with a pencil." Jolene told them.

"I'm sure it was karma for something he's done." Bonnie breathed out.

Jolene looked over at her and sighed.

"How does this work?" Caroline questioned.

"I'll put him in a trance and ask him questions. It's like hypnosis." Bonnie explained.

"I need a bowl of water…" Bonnie said after using her powers to light all the candles.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll… I'll go get it." Jeremy said, slightly stumbling over his words as he left the room.

Caroline and Jolene both exchanged excited looks.

"What?" Bonnie asked looking between the two of them.

"He just likes you so much…" Caroline said.

"He's Elena's little brother." Bonnie breathed, slightly embarrassed.

"Uh. Not so little anymore, he's grown up Bonnie… and pretty cute."  
Jolene said nudging Bonnie with her elbow.

"And he is so crushing on you!" Caroline exclaimed.

Bonnie put her hands on Luka's head, and Jolene closed her eyes concentrating and letting Bonnie use her energy also to work the spell on him.

"Why are you working with Elijah?" Bonnie asked.

"Klaus, we both him dead." Luka answered.

"You want to kill Klaus too, why?" Bonnie asked him.

"Because he has my sister. We have to get her away from him." Luka answered.

"Why does he have her?" Bonnie questioned.

"He's searching for a way to undo the curse without the doppelganger. He's forced generations of witches to help him for centuries." Luka responded.

"What has Elijah promised you?" Bonnie continued.

"If we help Elijah kill Klaus, he's promised to return her to us." Luka answered.

"How do you kill Klaus? How do you kill an original vampire?" Bonnie asked.

"After the sacrifice… Klaus will be vulnerable, weak." Luka said.

"Wait, after the sacrifice?" Caroline asked, her brown eyes wide.

"Elena will be dead?" Bonnie questioned.

"Yes, Elena has to die." Luke responded.

After they we're finished, Jolene said "I'm heading back to Damon's… we need to figure out a way to kill Elijah before he lets Elena get sacrificed."

She pulled up out front and started towards the door, slowing as she saw the door was cracked.

Walking in she looked down her eye's widening as she saw blood on the floor, reaching over to a bookshelf she opened a box with a wooden stake they kept hidden by the door.

When she laid the box back down it made a small thud.

"What was that?" She heard a female voice question.

"I don't know." An unfamiliar male voice responded.

"Who else is here?" She heard another male voice ask.

"No one." Damon said, his voice strained in pain as they had him bound to a chair and collar on that had wooden spikes protruding and poking into his neck.

"Go check it out." The female said again.

Jolene listened closely and realized the voice was familiar. It was Jule's, Mason's werewolf friend who had come to town looking for him.

She gritted her teeth and started for the living room, just as she reached the doorway a man rounded the corner.

She stuck the stake in the side of his neck, he stumbled back in the room gasping for air and trying to pull the stake from his neck.

"What the hell?" Another man asked.

Jolene walked in the room and looked around her eyes stopping on Damon, who had blood running from his neck.

"Did Tyler not give you my message?" Jolene asked them.

Jules turned around and looked at her, "Oh, great… it's the witch." She said, her eyes narrowed.

Jolene looked down at the floor and smiled, "And what's the word for a female dog? Oh, that's right… bitch." Jolene shot back, an eyebrow arched at her.

She looked down to see the werewolf had pulled the stake from his neck.

Raising her hand over his body, it only took moments for him to stop moving as he now lay dead.

Another of the men let out a low guttural growl and charged her.

Raising her hand towards him she brought him to his knees in agonizing pain, before he too fell over dead.

She killed another of the men, before Elijah walked in the room. Ripping the heart out of another of them, who was charging Jolene.

While Jolene looked over to Elijah, her eyes wide, Jules slipped out of the room without anyone noticing and Elijah walked over to the last man who was left.

"What about you, sweetheart?" Elijah asked as the last werewolf pulled his jacket up hiding his face as he coward down to the floor in fear of what he had just seen.

"Wanna take a shot?" Elijah asked, pulling him to his feet.

Pulling his fist back, Elijah hit him and Jolene could hear his neck bones snap across the room.

Jolene walked over to where Damon was as Elijah pulled the chains off of him.

Looking around, Jolene looked back at Elijah. "Thank you…" She said, her voice low.

"I only had to take out a few of them…" He said with a small nod.

"Tell me Jolene, how is it that a young witch such as yourself can work such powerful spells?" he asked.

"I just killed a few werewolves…" She said brushing it off.

"Yes, but I know that spell you used. You explode their hearts inside of their chests… it takes quite a bit of power." Elijah said, a little surprised she wasn't bleeding from her nose or showing any other sign of overusing her abilities.

She shrugged acting like it wasn't a big deal.

He stared at her a little while longer before looking back around the room and leaving.

"Are you okay?" Jolene asked, her face contorted in pain as she looked at the collar with wooden spikes still around his neck.

"Today just isn't my day…" Damon breathed out, winching as a wooden spike dug into his skin.

"Hold still." Jolene said as she carefully pulled the collar off of him, making sure not to cut him with the sharp wood tips of the spikes.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you so much for reading, I hope you guys all liked the chapter.**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited and/or added my stories to your alerts. ^_^ I know I've been behind on updating every Sunday, but I'm really trying to update regularly.**

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	48. It's Never Going to be that Simple

**Chapter 48 – It's Never Going to be that Simple-**

* * *

Jolene was standing in her kitchen when she heard her front door open. Quickly she grabbed a knife from the block on the counter and walked into her living room.

"Tyler?" She questioned as she saw him shutting the door behind him.

Looking back at her his eyes went down to the knife in her hands.

"You gonna stab me?" He questioned as he dropped the black duffel bag on his shoulder to the floor.

"Why does no one knock at my door?" She thought out loud as she walked back into the kitchen returning her knife to the block on the counter.

"I'm so sorry Jo… for everything I did to you and Caroline… to everyone. I just don't want to be like this forever… I can't be like this forever." Tyler said as he slid into a chair at the island in her kitchen.

"I just… I don't understand it. I was there for you every step of the way, through everything. Helped you in every way that I knew how, and Caroline… she helped you more than I did. And you were just going to let those werewolves you just met kill all of us?" Jolene said, her green eyes dark as she looked at him.

"I'm sorry. No one understands what it's like for me… they knew what I had to go through. I know it's not an excuse, but after I found out about Mason, I didn't know who to trust. Everyone lied to me." Tyler pointed out as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Me, Tyler. You trust me because you've known me your whole life and I've never done anything to hurt you. Don't you get that? I didn't like to hurt you; I lied to protect my friends… and you. It's dangerous knowing the town's secrets…" Jolene said as she leaned across the island counter and faced him.

"I know… and I shouldn't have done anything that I did. But, after I found out everything I was so mad at you… I trusted you more than anyone, and then I found out you had kept so much from me. I didn't try to look at it from your side." He admitted.

Jolene took a deep breath and looked around the orange walls of her kitchen.

"Why are you here?" Jolene asked him.

"I came to say goodbye." He admitted.

"Goodbye? What are you talking about?" she asked standing up.

"I'm leaving town… I can't stay here. Not with everything that's going on… I'm better off leaving. Everyone is better off with me leaving." He said.

"Where are you going to go?" Jolene asked.

"With someone who can help me deal with this… teach me what I need to know about being a lycanthrope." Tyler told her.

"It has to be Jules… she's the only one that got away." Jolene breathed out thinking back to the incident at Damon's house earlier that day.

"The only one who got away?" Tyler questioned.

"They showed up at Damon's house." Jolene told him.

"So you what? Killed them?" Tyler asked her, his eyes wide.

"In all fairness I told you to tell them to leave… I warned you what would happen." Jolene said, her voice low.

He shook his head.

"You are not a killer, Jo. I don't… I didn't even know the person in the woods that night. That wasn't you." Tyler said, referring to the night she saved Caroline from the werewolves.

"I will always protect my friends… no matter the cost." Jolene said, swallowing hard.

"What is going on with you?" Tyler asked.

"They had Damon chained to a chair… torturing him, Tyler. They came at me, I was protecting myself and trying to keep him safe." Jolene explained.

"And that was wrong of them, I'm not denying that. But… I didn't even think you were capable of killing… anything." Tyler told her.

"I didn't either… not until a while ago." Jolene admitted, her eyes burned from the tears threating to spill out.

"I guess we're all pretty capable of things we never thought we'd do." He agreed.

"What did your mom say about you leaving?" Jolene asked.

"I left her a note…" Tyler said.

"You don't have to go." Jolene offered.

"I have to, Jo. This is the best possible thing for me." He said, his own eyes burning with tears from fear of leaving the only home he'd ever known.

"You know I'm always just a phone call away…" She said as he slid out of the tall chair at her kitchen counter.

"Thank you." He said nodding.

"Please don't tell anyone I was here… I went to Matt to try and make peace before I left, and I went to Caroline's… but I couldn't talk to her. You're the only one I've told I'm leaving." Tyler said.

Jolene swatted a tear away from her cheek as she crossed her arms over her chest and nodded.

"You be careful, Jo." Tyler said as he hugged her.

She held onto him tightly and her tears started to soak through the black fabric of his t-shirt.

"I wish you didn't have to go." She said, her voice hoarse.

"I'm going to miss you… I hope I can learn to handle and control this so I can come back." Tyler told her.

"Take care of yourself." Jolene said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek before he left.

**~(They next day)~**

Jolene sat beside Damon in a booth at the grill across from Alaric as they all 3 ate lunch and discussed plans about Elijah.

"Other than your lecture on Mystic Falls, get anything out of Elijah?" Damon asked him.

"No, it was boring…" Ric said as he took a drink of his coke.

"But of course, Jenna thinks he's charming." Alaric said as he clanked his spoon against his glass plate.

"You sound jealous. He sounds jealous…" Damon said as he looked over to Jolene.

"It's not your fault, Ric. It's the accent and gentleman act he puts on." Jolene said as she ate one of her French fries.

"I just need the right opportunity to strike." Damon breathed out.

"And you're sure he intends to use Elena as a sacrifice?" Ric asked them.

"Yeah, the spell that Bonnie and I used worked perfect. Everything we got from him was the truth." Jolene said nodding.

"Ah. There's Jenna with her new boyfriend." Damon remarked as Jenna entered the grill with Elijah.

"Hi." Damon called as he waved.

"Hey, guys." Jenna said smiling at them, as she walked up to the table.

"So I hear you two had quite a meeting of historical minds." Damon said mentioning the meeting that Jenna, Elijah and Alaric had earlier in the day.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Jenna agreed, as she looked at Jolene.

"Well, as much as I'd like to continue this. I uh, I've got papers to grade." Alaric said starting to excuse himself from the table.

Damon slid his arm around Jolene's shoulders as he said, "You know, Ric? We should continue this."

Everyone looked at Damon, "We could all have dinner… it would help Elijah get more information on the town and… Jolene here needs more information on local history for a school project."

Jolene's eyes widened as she took a drink of her water.

"Like a dinner party? With all of us?" Jenna questioned looking around the group.

"Totally… it could be really beneficial to everyone. And like Damon pointed out, I need help with my history project." Jolene said, offering a friendly smile as she reached up and held onto Damon's hand on the arm around her shoulders.

"I'll be happy to host." Damon said.

"When are we doing this?" Jolene asked looking to Damon.

"Say… tonight, maybe?" He asked everyone.

"I'm free." Jenna said with a nod glancing back to Jolene.

"It would be a pleasure." Elijah agreed.

Alaric nodded and they all looked to Jolene.

"Yeah, I'm so there… I mean I'm 17 and it's a Saturday night, what could be more exciting than a dinner party?" Jolene said, letting Damon know she wasn't happy about him including her without asking first.

They all agreed on a time.

Once Jolene and Damon were back in his car he looked over at her, "You could have played along a little bit better in there."

"How believable would it have seemed anyways? Not a one of them believe I seriously want to go to a dinner party with my teacher and his girlfriend. Ric might be a friend, but to everyone else he is just my teacher and it looks weird." Jolene pointed out.

"But it didn't look weird for you to stay with him?" Damon questioned, as he drove them towards Jolene's house.

As he pulled into her driveway she asked, "What I am supposed to wear to this thing?"

"It's a dinner party… a dress or something. You're supposed to dress up." Damon said, acting like she should have known that.

"How was I supposed to know? Normally when I make plans with people for dinner, we go to the grill." Jolene said as she opened the car door.

Reaching over to her he took a hold of her chin and made her face him, he leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you for… attempting to play along with idea of tonight; even if it was terrible acting."

She laughed and shook her head as she kissed him again before she ran into her house and started to dig through her closet.

It was close to 20 minutes later when she emerged from the house, carrying a strapless pink dress with light purple lace stretched over it and a pink ribbon that tied around the waste.

She also was carrying a pair of glittery, shiny silver high-heels with dark pink on the bottom of them. In her large purse she had her hair straightener and some of her make up.

She opened the door, and put all of her stuff in the backseat.

Damon smiled and shook his head as he started the car.

"What?" she asked seeing his reaction.

"Normally you dress in darker colors for a dinner party… not bright pink and purple." He said, still smiling.

"Well you didn't tell me a head of time. Maybe we could stop by Caroline's, she's got a ton more dresses than I do." Jolene said as she looked into the backseat where her dress was.

"It's fine, you'll look beautiful no matter what." He said, leaning over and kissing her before he backed out of her driveway.

"Uh-huh… you're just hoping I play along tonight and make it seem believable so Elijah doesn't suspect anything." Jolene said, playfully narrowing her eyes at him.

"That's true. But, so was my first statement. You always look beautiful." He said, looking over at her.

**~( A few hours later)~**

Jolene nervously looked in the mirror as she re-tied the shiny pink ribbon in a bow around her waist and stepped into her heels.

They had devised their plan for Jolene to help Jenna with the dishes in the kitchen, while Damon and Alaric planned to kill Elijah.

She was worried something was going to go wrong, and someone might get hurt or killed.

Her hair was straightened and she had some of her hair pinned back.

"Showtime." Damon said as he emerged from the bathroom fixing his tie.

A few moments later, Jolene heard a knock on the door.

She looked at him in the mirror, a slight frown on her face.

"I was right." He stated, smiling as he watched her reflection as she watched him in the mirror.

"About?" She questioned, cocking her head to side.

"Lots of things. But currently… that you'd look beautiful even if you're not dressed accordingly." He said, smugly smirking.

She shook her head and back and forth not able to stop the smile that spread across her lips, as she picked up her earrings from the bedside table where she had laid her jewelry out for that night.

Crossing the room Damon picked up her pink and white diamond necklace that hung from a thin silver chain.

She held her hair up as he walked behind her and fastened it for her.

Turning around her green eyes searched his face.

"I love you." She said, her voice soft.

"I love you too." He responded, kissing her before he went downstairs to let their guests in.

Jenna was the first to arrive.

Jolene descended the stairs as Jenna was passing them.

"Hey Jenna." Jolene said with a smile.

"Jo, I wondered if you were really going to come tonight." Jenna said smiling as she knew Jolene didn't want to be there.

While they waited for everyone else to arrive.

Jenna and Jolene started to set the table in the large dining room.

"I know you don't really want to be here. If Elena was home I would have asked her and Stefan to join us." Jenna offered.

"It's alright, guess that's what I get for dating up in age, huh?" Jolene joked as she sat a plate down on the table.

"You sure he's not… too up in age?" Jenna questioned, avoiding Jolene's eyes as she look down at the table.

"Oh come on Jenna, not you too. I dated Damon for months before and no one really cared, now we're back together and all of a sudden everybody is stuck on the age thing." Jolene said, a hint of irritation showing in her voice.

"I'm in no position to be giving dating advice and I'm not trying to stick my nose where it doesn't belong. But I saw you at the Historical Society Event, and you obviously didn't want to be there either. Now you've been roped into a dinner party with your best friend's aunt, your teacher and an out of town author." Jenna pointed out as she laid the cloth napkins next to the plates.

"Well, the society event and this dinner party weren't exactly my first choice of things to do. But it's okay, I'm happy as long as I'm with Damon." Jolene said smiling to herself as she spoke.

Jenna smiled and nodded.

"I'm not really one to talk… things aren't really the best right now with me and Ric." Jenna admitted.

"Yeah… I kinda sensed some tension." Jolene admitted as she grabbed the stemmed glasses.

"I mean I like him, well, it's more than like. But I feel like he's hiding something from me and then I've got John whispering things in my ear about him." Jenna told her.

"Like what?" Jolene asked.

"Things I don't want to believe. Things I don't believe, not if they're coming from John's mouth." Jenna said.

"Smart choice, it's John… he's probably just trying to stir things up." Jolene agreed.

After they sat the table Jenna turned to Jolene, "Do you know where the corkscrew is?" She asked as she held up a bottle of wine.

"No, I don't… but hold on a minute." Jolene said as she left the room.

Alaric had arrived and he and Damon we're taking in the living room.

"Hey Ric, Jenna needs help with the wine." Jolene said as she looked at him.

"Okay." He said with a nod as he left the room.

Once he was gone, Damon quickly crossed the room and opened a box that contained the dagger and white oak ash they needed to kill Elijah.

"I hope everything goes right." Jolene said as she watched Damon dip the dagger into the bottle of white oak ash.

"Elijah's older than me. He's faster than me. It's all about the element of surprise." Damon said.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading! I hope everyone liked the chapter, I'm trying to get back into the habit of updating this story every week. ^_^**

**On my profile is a link to my Polyvore account, I will have a set up for this chapter soon.**

**Please take a few moments to leave me a review and let me know if you're still reading and liking the story. Your support means so much to me and keeps me writing and updating. Thank you. ^_^**


	49. The Dinner

**Chapter 49 –The Dinner-**

* * *

There was another knock on the door and Jenna entered the room and opened the door expecting to see Elijah.

"Who invited him?" Jenna asked as John Gilbert walked into the house.

"John. What a surprise, leave." Damon said as he and Jolene walked into the entry way.

"Jenna told me she was coming to party for Elijah. I decided I couldn't miss out on the fun and games." John said.

"This night just keeps getting better and better." Jolene breathed under breath as she looked at Jenna who nodded at her.

"Jolene. I didn't expect to see you here…" John said.

"Likewise." Jolene responded.

"It's a Saturday night… you're young. You don't really want to be here do you?" He asked, looking at her.

"I happen to love dinner parties." Jolene said smugly to him.

"Dinner parties with adults?" He asked.

"I am an adult." Jolene retorted.

"You're 17." He corrected.

"And more mature and responsible than you." Jenna said, defending her.

Everybody went into the living room and waited on Elijah to show up.

A little while later there was a knock on the door, and Damon went to answer it.

Jenna and Jolene wandered back into the entry way.

"Jenna! So good to see you again." Elijah said smiling to her.

"It's good to see you too." Jenna responded.

"Jolene, you look very nice." Elijah said.

"Thank you. Glad you could make it." She said politely.

They all sat down at the dining room table and began their dinner.

"I hate to break it to you Damon, but according to Elijah your family is so not a founder of this town." Jenna said.

"Hmm. Do tell." Damon said.

Jolene looked around the table to see if John was watching her, but he wasn't so she picked up the bottle of wine next to Jenna and poured some into her glass.

"Well, as I mentioned to Jenna earlier a faction of settlers migrated from Salem after the witch trials in the 1690's." Elijah said.

Jolene took a drink of her wine and Elijah looked at her.

"You know, actually Jolene you may have had some ancestors there." He said.

"Is that so?" She questioned, taking a bite of her salad.

"Yes, there was a John Proctor who was accused and hung in the witch trials. But his last wife and 2 children may have been some of the settlers that relocated here." Elijah said.

"I didn't know that." Jolene said honestly, as she took another drink of her wine.

"Listen to that. Maybe you're secretly a witch." Jenna joked as she lightly nudged Jolene's arm.

"Could be." Jolene said returning a smile and glancing at Elijah as she took another bite of her food.

"The settlers over the next hundred years developed this community where they would feel safe from persecution." Elijah continued his story

"There isn't any proof that they are actual witches." Jenna said looking to Elijah.

"Well, the lore says that there was this wave of anti-witch hysteria; broke out in the neighboring settlement so these witches were rounded up, tied to stakes in the field and burned. Some say you could hear the screams for miles around." Elijah finished his story.

"That's terrible." Jolene said, as she took another drink of her wine.

"Jolene, you must have grabbed the wrong glass. You're too young to be drinking." John said as he plucked the glass from her hand.

"Yes, clearly I confused the red wine with my glass of water. My mistake." Jolene said, as she lifted her glass of water and nodded at him before she took a drink.

"It is terrible. Witches aren't real, all of those people who were killed were all innocent." Jenna said, agreeing with Jolene saying how awful it was.

"It was hysteria… people being afraid of things they didn't understand." Jolene said looking to Jenna.

"Indeed Jolene, there have been many similar incidents all throughout history." Elijah said.

"It's starting to sound like a ghost story to me." John added in.

"Why do you want to know the location of these alleged massacres?" Damon asked Elijah.

"You know. Healthy historian's curiosity, of course." Elijah suavely responded.

"Of course." Damon agreed, as he glanced down the table to where Jolene was sitting.

"Would anyone care for some Cognac? I have a bottle I've been saving for ages." Damon said as he stood from the table.

"None for me thanks. Nine bottles of wine is my limit." Alaric said as he stood from the table.  
"We'll head into the study." Damon said.

"I have to say the food was almost as wonderful as the company." Elijah said, as he laid his cloth napkin down on the table.

Jenna sent John with a stack of dishes into the kitchen and she followed him with a few glasses.

Alaric started to gather more dishes and Jolene was walking around the table picking up the cloth napkins for the laundry when her phone rang.

"Hello?" She answered seeing Stefan's number.

Stefan told her how if a vampire killed an original, the vampire would also die.

"Oh my god." She breathed out, her face going pale as she hung up and ran from the dining room.

Jolene ran into the study and saw Damon picking up the dagger.

"Damon!" She yelled her green eyes wide.

He dropped the dagger before Elijah saw it.

"Jolene." He said, his voice almost in a growl as she interrupted the plan.

"I'm sorry, how rude of me. Elijah, I hate to interrupt your conversation but Jenna will be serving desert soon." Jolene said smiling.

"And you ran in here like you were on fire… why?" Damon asked.

"I… I'm just excited! I love desert." Jolene said, feeling her cheeks darken from everyone staring at her and not being able to come up with a better lie.

"Ah, well I'll be joining her in the dining room then." Elijah said as he walked past her and left the room.

Alaric came in to see what Jolene had taken off running for.

Damon looked at her, his jaw tensed in anger.

Taking her phone she opened a blank text message and typed, that if a vampire stakes an original that vampire dies.

Damon read it, his eyes wide as he realized how close he had been to almost dying.

Alaric came over and took the phone from her hand and read it.

They all 3 exchanged looks, before heading into the dining room.

"Sorry guys. Desert it taking longer than I thought." Jenna apologized as she started to fill coffee cups for everyone.

Jenna headed back into the kitchen.

John looked around the table.

"What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how you intend on killing Klaus?" John asked him.

"Gentlemen, there's a few things we should probably get clear right now. I allow you all to live solely to keep an eye on Elena and honor our deal. I allow Elena to remain in her house, living her life with her friends as a courtesy. If any of you become a liability I'll take her away from you, and you'll never see her again." Elijah warned them.

Jolene looked up to see Alaric heading towards Elijah with the dagger.

Her eyes widening as Alaric stabbed Elijah through the back.

Alaric pulled the dagger from his back and looked at Damon, "Now get rid of him before Jenna comes back with the desert."

"All right." Damon nodded.

Jolene held the door for him as Damon carried Elijah down to the basement and dropped his body in one of the rooms.

A little while later Stefan called to tell them that the dagger had to stay in place for an original vampire to stay dead.

Jolene and Damon raced downstairs to see Elijah was gone.

"We have to get to Elena… he's going to try to get her!" Jolene said, to Damon.

"You know the way to her family's lake house?" Damon questioned as they headed out to his car.

"Yeah." Jolene said as she got in the passenger seat.

When they almost reached the lake house Jolene's phone rang.

It was Jeremy calling her to tell her that Luka's father had found them and took Bonnie's powers.

"Oh my god." Jolene breathed out as she hung up her phone.

"What?" Damon asked as he pulled up to the lake house.

"We're 1 witch down." Jolene said, as she stared down to her pone.

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked her.

"Luka's dad stole Bonnie's powers." Jolene said, as they headed to the door.

Elena opened the door and let Jolene in and invited Damon in.

They knew he was going to come for Elena, so they had brought the dagger and white oak ash with them.

Jolene and Damon stayed out of sight from the doorway, as Elijah used a hand full of rocks to blow the door of it' hinges.

"I may not be able to enter this house… but I am a very patient man." Elijah spoke into the now open door frame.

Elena walked into sight from the doorway and displayed a knife.

"I'd like to see you lure Klaus into Mystic Falls after the doppelganger bleeds to death." Elena said.

"Stefan won't let you die." Elijah pointed out.

"He'll feed me his blood to heal me and then I'll kill myself and become a vampire just like Katherine did." Elena threatened.

"I'm sorry Elena. I'm going to have to call your bluff." Elijah said confidently.

Jolene watched as Elena took a deep breath before plunging the knife into her stomach.

She gasped in pain as her blood started to pour from the wound onto the wood floor.

"No!" Elijah yelled running to the doorway but was unable to get in.

He agreed to let her keep the same deal; he wouldn't harm any of her friends.

"Let me heal you." He said.

"Give me your word." Elena managed to say through the pain.

"I give you my word." Elijah said.

Elena stumbled from the house and stabbed him with the dagger, leaving it in his body as he fell to the ground.

Stefan raced out of the front door, biting his wrist and fed Elena his blood to heal her.

Their plan had worked.

Damon looked down to Elijah's body and said, "A little tip. Don't pull the dagger out."

They got Elijah's body back to the basement of the Salvatore house.

Jolene looked at Elena as a few tears slide down her cheeks.

Walking over she wrapped her arms around her friend and held her in a tight hug.

"I'll hold onto this." Damon said as he pulled the moonstone from Elijah's pocket.

That night, Jolene changed into her pajamas and plugged her cellphone in to charge.

She stood back up and walked over to the large windows, pushing the curtains back she looked out into the darkness of night.

She smiled when she felt a pair of arms slide around her.

"Is Elena staying here with Stefan tonight?" Jolene asked as she leaned back against Damon.

"Yeah." He said, his voice quiet as his face was close to her ear.

"Sorry I've been dragging you into so many boring things." He said, as he tightened his arms around her.

"It's okay… it's not so boring when you're there." She said, as she held onto his arms.

"Thank you for tonight." He whispered against her hair that was over her ear.

"For which part? Stopping you from stabbing Elijah and getting killed, or playing along with that terrible dinner party?" Jolene asked with a small laugh.

"All of it." He admitted as he spun her around until she faced him.

She smiled as she reached up and held onto his shoulders, as he claimed her mouth with his.

He wrapped his arms around her keeping her body pressed tightly against his, as he kissed down the side of her neck.

Her heart started to race and her breathing grew ragged, as he rubbed his hands up her sides, pulling the green pajama tank top with them.

Reaching down she grabbed the bottom of his black shirt and pulled it over his head. She ran her fingers through his hair as she pulled his face back down to hers.

She moved her hands up his muscled torso and chest; her breathing grew more ragged at the feeling of his firm flesh under her hands.

Now laying on the bed their hands tore at the remaining layers of their clothing.

**~(The next day)~**

Jolene walked into the grill to grab lunch, looking around she saw her stepmom and dad.

"Jo!" Marlaina exclaimed as she waved for her to come join them.

"Hey guys." Jolene said smiling as she sat down beside her stepmom.

"You look like you're doing really good." Marlaina observed.

"I am doing pretty good." Jolene said nodding.

"It's a wonder... you being back and Damon and all." Marshall said as he looked over his menu.

"Wow, dad. Tell me how you really feel." Jolene remarked sarcastically.

"Marshall! She's only been speaking to you for a few months…" Marlaina warned him against making her mad.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd moved and hadn't told us." Marlaina said as she took a drink of her sprite.

"Why?" Jolene asked, confused.

"Well… the past week I drove by your house every evening when I picked Heather up from all of her school events. She's been wanting to see you. But your car was never there, a few times we even stopped by on our way to school in the mornings." Marlaina told her.

"Oh… yeah. I've been meaning to stop by and see Heather, I've just been really busy." Jolene said, surprised at how she missed having her younger step-sister around.

"Where have you been all week?" Marlaina asked her.

Jolene glanced back down at the menu as she spoke, "Been spending a lot of time with Damon."

Her dad let out a loud irritated sigh.

"You know… maybe I'll just eat by myself." Jolene said as she started to scoot out of the booth.

"No. Jo, don't. We haven't seen you or really got talk to you in a while." Marshall said.

"Your father's angry because after Mayor Lockwood died, Carol asked Damon to take over the council instead of your father." Marlaina told Jolene.

"That's what this is about? You're jealous of Damon?" Jolene asked stifling a laugh.

"It's not right. He's not even been in the council that long, I have. I just think Carol is making the wrong decision for our town." He said as he laid his menu down.

"Honestly honey, I don't know why you care so much about the founding families council. All they do is organize community event and founders day… it's not that important." Marlaina told him.

Jolene looked to her stepmother realizing she had absolutely no idea about anything in the town.

"Maybe you can come by the house for lunch sometime this week, or maybe dinner after school? You could bring Damon…" Marlaina offered.

"Marlaina." He said as he shook his head.

"What? You're both on that boring council you seem to care so much about… maybe if you just tried to get to know him?" Marlaina explained her reasoning.

"It's not a matter of getting to know him. He blows into town out of nowhere… he doesn't work, and since he's been in town no one has heard anything from Zach. He's got Liz and Carol both thinking he's the best choice for council leader." Marshall continued to explain.

"And you… he's had you enamored with him since he showed up. There is just something wrong with the picture, he's had too many people fall under his spell too fast." Marshall continued to say.

"Oh you know dad, maybe he's just that amazing and everyone sees it but you because you don't want to think he's a decent person." Jolene said as she looked at her dad.

"I also think your father might be having a hard time accepting the fact that you're growing up…" Marlaina said with a small smile at how Jolene seemed to be doing so much better.

"I know she's growing up, and I'm so proud of her. But he is just too old for her." Marshall argued with his wife.

"And… how many years are between the two of you?" Jolene argued back.

"Fine, I will keep my mouth shut. But I am worried about you being with him." Marhsall said as the waitress came to the table and they ordered their food.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading! I hope everyone liked the chapter, I'm trying to get back into the habit of updating this story every week.**

**I have a few Teen Wolf fanfictions up now. ^_^**

**Please take a few moments to leave me a review and let me know if you're still reading and liking the story. Your support means so much to me and keeps me writing and updating. Thank you. ^_^**


	50. Out of the Tomb

**Chapter 50 –Out of the Tomb-**

* * *

Jolene stood in her room; she was in a jean skirt and blue tank top with a brown jacket and boots.

She had missed almost the entire last week of school; the night before she decided to go back to school she stayed the night at her house by herself so she'd get up and go to school.

She heard her doorbell ring and grabbed her book bag as she headed down the stairs.

Looking at the doorknob she sighed at herself as she saw she had forgotten to lock her door again.

Opening her door she looked at Elena.

"Jo! Hey." She said.

Jolene sighed heavily, "I should have known us killing Elijah would somehow benefit you."

"What are you talking about?" She asked with a confused look on her face.

"Playing dumb isn't cute on you Katherine." Jolene breathed out irritated as she stood in her house.

"How'd you figure it out?" Katherine asked, her lips curving up into a sinister smile.

"I have this bad habit of forgetting to lock my doors and my friends have a more than annoying habit of just letting themselves right in. They never knock." Jolene stated crossing her arms over her chest.

Katherine looked down to her own clothes, "I spent the morning at Elena's house pretending to be her… it's getting too easy to pretend to be her." Katherine said as she looked down to her hair she had straightened.

"Well, then maybe you should just stop trying to pretend to be her. Why the hell aren't you a thousand miles away right now?" Jolene questioned.

"Because, I want Klaus dead just as bad as you do; I'm here to help you." She said.

"I don't want anything from you." Jolene said.

"Maybe not want it… but you need me." Katherine pointed out.

"Out of all people why the hell did you show up at my door?" Jolene questioned.

"You're the only one who doesn't hate me, and I need you to talk to Stefan and Damon for me." Katherine admitted.

"Hmm. And what gave you the idea that I don't hate you?" Jolene asked.

"Why would you? I have no desire to take Damon from you… I don't want him. Elena on the other hand, I'm sure is a bit bitter of Stefan and I." Katherine told her.

"You mean bitter of you threating to kill everyone if she didn't break up with him? God, Katherine… I couldn't imagine why she'd still be upset over that." Jolene said.

Katherine let out a small laugh at her sarcasm.

"You need me. You don't know what Klaus looks like or anything else about him. I've spent centuries running from him… I can help you; I want to help you." She explained.

"Bravo on taking out Elijah, I wasn't sure you'd all be able to pull it off." Katherine said.

"Yeah… I might be a little bitter about the fact you tried to get Damon killed." Jolene said, her green eye narrowed.

"I didn't set out to get him killed… I just wanted out of that tomb and I really didn't care who got killed in the process as long as I got my freedom. But I'm here, I didn't run away." Katherine said as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"And that's exactly why I don't want your help, and no one else does either!" Jolene yelled angry at her.

"Oh god." Katherine said shaking her head back and forth laughing.

"What?" Jolene asked.

"Damon's finally done it… he's found someone to be just as hopelessly in love and obsessive as he is. Really Jolene… I'm beginning to think you're just as pathetic as he is." Katherine said, still laughing.

Jolene pulled her book bag back on her shoulder and walked out of her house, pulling the door shut behind her.

"Where are we going? To get breakfast? School? Stefan and Damon's?" Katherine asked as she turned and followed Jolene to her orange Ford Escape.

"'W'e aren't going anywhere, I'm going to school and you can… burn in hell for all I care." Jolene said as she reached for the handle on her door.

"Hey! I said you need me." Katherine said as she grabbed Jolene and pinned her against the car with her hand tightening on her throat.

Concentrating Jolene used her powers against Katherine.

Groaning in pain she let go and stumbled backwards, holding her head in pain.

"Stop it!" Katherine hissed.

"I could… but then I think about you trying to get Damon killed…" Jolene said, increasing the pain Katherine was in.

She dropped to her knees still holding onto her head and screaming.

"Then I started to think about how you tried and apparently are still trying to ruin Elena's life." Jolene continued, as she increased the pain more.

Katherine screamed louder as she was now curled up in a ball on Jolene's driveway.

"But, as much as I hate you… and believe me Katherine, I do hate you, you have a point, we don't know near as much as you do about Klaus." Jolene said as she released the spell she was holding on the vampire.

Katherine's breathing was still labored from all the pain she had been in.

She slowly rose to her feet looking at Jolene in complete shock, "How can you do that?"

"It's a witch thing." Jolene said as she opened her door and put her book bag in her car.

"No… there is something different with you." Katherine said her dark brown eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at Jolene.

"You getting in or not?" Jolene questioned as she climbed into the driver's seat of her car.

Sighing Katherine walked around and got into the passenger seat of Jolene's car.

"You might be strong… but you're still just as pathetic as Damon, you two are made for each other; thought you might have come to your senses when you started dating that werewolf… but nope." Katherine said, as she looked around the interior of Jolene's car.

Jolene rolled her eyes as she smacked the power button for the radio and backed out of her driveway onto the street.

Pulling up to the Salvatore house, both girls exited the car and Jolene walked in the house first as Katherine stood out of sight from the open door.

Damon was walking down the stairs he smiled when he saw her, "Hey… decide against school?" He asked, as he walked up and kissed her.

She smiled and kissed him before she said, "No I'm going to school… but we need to talk to you first."

He glanced behind her.

"We?" He questioned.

"Yes, unfortunately. We… as in Katherine and I." Jolene said.

His face twisted with confusion, "What the hell are you talking about? You and Katherine?"

"Yes, we're all on the same side." Katherine said as she walked in the house.

"Why aren't you still rotting away in the tomb?" He asked her.

"When we killed Elijah, it broke his compulsion." Jolene explained.

"And I'm still here, I'm here to help all of you… we all want the exact same thing." Katherine said.

Damon's jaw tensed in rage as he looked at her, "You knew if I stabbed Elijah it would kill me."

"I could only save one of you… and obviously, I chose Stefan." Katherine said looking Damon right in the eyes as she spoke.

"What is going on?" Stefan asked as he and Elena descended the stairs.

"What is she doing here? Get her out!" Elena yelled looking at Katherine.

"I'm here to help you, Elena." Katherine said.

"I don't want your help and I don't need your help." Elena snapped at her as she stepped closer to Stefan.

Katherine walked up and put her arm around Jolene's shoulders, "I can help you, tell them Jo." She said.

"Don't touch me." Jolene growled as she narrowed her eyes and Katherine fell to the floor screaming in pain.

Katherine got back to her feet and looked at her, "Second time today? If you go for a third I'll kill you." She hissed.

Damon moved over standing in front of Jolene as he glared at Katherine.

"Pathetic." Katherine breathed out as she shook her head and looked around Damon to where Jolene was standing.

Katherine explained how she was the only one who knew anything about Klaus and what he looked like.

**~(After school)~**

Jolene stood in her bedroom as she packed a small bag for the night; she, Caroline, and Bonnie were all going to stay the night at Elena's.

"Tell me again why you're going to Elena's instead of staying with me?" Damon asked as he stood in the room with her.

"Girls night… Bonnie's really upset over her powers being stolen, and Caroline's still having problems with Matt. Elena thought it would be a good idea for us all to spend some time together." Jolene answered as she dropped her bag on the side of the bed, and unplugged her cellphone charger from the wall.

"I have to go…" Jolene said as she faced Damon and leaned up to kiss him.

"Fine, your friends can have you tonight… but tomorrow, you're all mine." He said, as he pulled her against him and kissed her again.

She nodded, "Good luck on finding the spot of the witch massacre; I'm hoping you can find something in the journals."

"Yeah, you and me both." He replied.

She kissed him again before she left and headed to Elena's; Bonnie and Caroline were already there.

"Chinese food or pizza?" Caroline asked them as the girls stood around the island in the middle of Elena's kitchen.

"Hmm, like you even have to ask!" Elena replied smiling.

"I'll get it." Caroline said as she took her computer tablet from her purse.

Her eyes grew sad when she saw a picture of herself and Matt.

"I'll do it." Bonnie said, pulling the tablet from her friend's hands.

Jolene gave Caroline an empathetic smile as she wrapped her arm around her giving her a half hug.

Caroline sighed and laid her head on Jolene's shoulder.

"Do you think Jonas is being sincere about helping us?" Jolene asked Bonnie.

"I don't really know what to believe. I think he's at a loss and he's not sure who to believe himself." She replied, as she looked up pizza places.

"Well, join the club." Elena breathed out under her breath.

"Well, what are we going to do about the movie situation? The Notebook?" Caroline questioned them.

"No way! You know that movie makes me cry every single time we watch it." Jolene complained.

"Yeah, the 4 of us go through an entire box of tissues when we see that movie." Bonnie agreed with Jolene.

"Caroline, how many times have you seen that movie?" Elena asked smiling.

"That is so not the point." Caroline argued back smiling at her best friends.

Elena's Aunt Jenna walked in the kitchen and looked at the group of teenagers.

"What's going on?" She questioned.

"Girls night." Elena responded.

"How are you doing?" Elena asked her aunt.

"You heard about my fight with Ric?" Jenna questioned.

They all nodded.

"I'm sorry you're still going through a rough patch with him… but he really likes you Jenna." Jolene said.

"I just can't take the secrets, relationships are about trust and he's pretty much lost mine." Jenna admitted as she joined the girls.

"Damon didn't drag you off to any boring events where you're the only one your age there?" Jenna asked with a small smile.

"No, I got the night off to act like a teenager." Jolene replied, smiling.

"We're here if you want to talk." Elena said to her.

"And because I am a winner when it comes to successful relationships." Caroline joked, still upset over her and Matt.

"You too huh?" Jenna asked her.

"You have no idea." Caroline said, nodding.

"To play devil's advocate, maybe there is a great reason why he's not telling you about Isobel." Caroline offered.

"Maybe he's trying to protect you." Jolene agreed.

"But that's not his call to make. I deserve the truth, everybody does." Jenna argued with them.

"Sometimes its more complicated than that." Caroline continued.

"No if it's somebody you care about, it isn't." Jenna argued.

The kitchen grew quiet before Caroline excitedly exclaimed. "You know what we need? Dancing! There is a band at the Grill."

They all agreed to go see the live music.

"They are actually really good!" Jolene said smiling as they now stood in the large crowd watching the band preform.

"Wow, I haven't seen this many people here in… ever." Bonnie said looking around at the crowded restaurant.

"I'd come more if they had live bands." Jolene said.

"I need a drink." Jenna groaned when she spotted Alaric.

Matt who was working that night, walked past them on his way to clean off a table.

"Hey, Matt." Caroline said with a wide smile.

He walked by ignoring her.

"Things just got real awkward…" Bonnie breathed out.

"Go talk to him!" Elena encouraged her.

"I… can't." Caroline told them.

"He said the ball is in your court." Bonnie reminded her.

"Yeah, but I can't do anything about it. I don't know what to say to make him realize how I feel about him." Caroline said, shrugging.

Jolene clapped when the band finished another one of their songs.

"Oh my god!" Jolene exclaimed excitedly as she looked at Caroline.

"What?" she asked.

"That's just it! You don't have to actually say anything… you can sing it!" She explained her thoughts.

"Sing it?" Caroline asked, her smile growing.

"What should I sing?" Caroline asked as she took her jacket off and handed it to Jolene.

"Oh… I'm thinking a song by The Bangles that we both happen to love…" Jolene said, her voice trailing off.

"Eternal Flame? Perfect!" Caroline exclaimed as she took off through the crowd towards the stage.

"What did you just do?" Elena asked Jolene.

"Have you guys never heard her sing?" Jolene asked Elena and Bonnie.

"No." They both said.

"Seriously? She's amazing!" Jolene said, smiling as she looked up to Caroline who was talking to the band members.

"This isn't gonna end well." Jenna said, as she rejoined the girls and looked at Caroline up on the stage.

"Have some faith in the girl." Bonnie said, hoping Jolene was right about Caroline.

Once Caroline compelled the band to help her, she started singing.

"She's good!" Jenna exclaimed surprised.

"I know." Jolene said, smiling proudly as Caroline hit every note perfectly.

After she was finished with the song, Matt joined her on stage and kissed her in front of the entire crowd.

Jenna, Elena, Bonnie and Jolene all clapped and cheered for them.

It was just a little while later that Bonnie told Elena about her and Jeremy having feelings for each other.

Elena was happy and supportive of them.

When Elena got a phone call from Stefan she walked away from them to try and get to a quieter spot to hear him better.

"How are you doing?" Jolene asked Bonnie.

"I… not so well to be honest. I feel so, useless. I had gotten so used to having them and now I'm useless." Bonnie said, sadness on her face.

"Maybe we can find some spell to get them back or something." Jolene offered some hope.

"How? You don't even seem to like using your powers." Bonnie pointed out.

"I don't… for the most part my abilities are like dark magic. And even if my intentions are good I can feel this darkness inside of me growing with the more I use the powers. I've killed werewolves with my powers, and even though I did it to protect my friends… I liked it." Jolene admitted, looking down.

"What?" Bonnie gasped.

"I know… it's sick. But after I use the power, especially a powerful spell like killing werewolves or something. I get this rush of life… pure power, I don't know how to explain it… but it's like the most intense… high I have ever felt." Jolene told her.

"Jolene, you can't keep using your powers then. I don't understand this Mage stuff, but if I did I wouldn't have asked you to use your powers as much as I have." Bonnie said apologetically.

"It's okay… I mean, I'm not all evil… there's just witch blood from my dad's side of the family; not Mage blood, so there is a balance to it… but the dark magic is more powerful." Jolene continued to explain.

"You're not evil." Bonnie said facing her.

Jolene avoided her eyes.

"Hey, look at me." Bonnie said.

Jolene looked up at her.

"You're not evil. There is an element of darkness to witchcraft… I am capable of it to but I don't even dare dabble in dark magic. Grams warned me some about it, and I just stick to the good things." Bonnie said.

"it's different Bonnie, every witch may be capable of dark magic… but I'm not just capable of it… I am dark." Jolene said as she started to walk away.

"I've known you your entire life, you're a good person." Bonnie said grabbing Jolene's arm.

"I try to be. But Bonnie you're right, you have known me my entire life. And you know there's a darker side of me. The addiction, all the pain, the rage, the self-hate… I can't just shut that part of me off. I fight so hard every day to keep my head above water." Jolene told her, her green eyes dark as she spoke.

"You're right, there are dark parts to who you are. But look at how far you've come, Jo. Can't you see how strong you've gotten? How much you've grown up? I am so proud of you, we all are." Bonnie said as she stepped forward and hugged her.

Jolene was silent as she hugged her friend back.

"I know that you're fighting it all, and that is making you stronger. Every day you keep getting stronger and pushing the darkness down… your good side is getting stronger and I think the more it happens the easier it will be to start letting the darkness go. And I'm here, so are Elena and Caroline. We are your best friends and we all love you!" Bonnie said.

Jolene stepped back managing a smile, "Thank you."

Bonnie smiled and nodded.

"And… as much I hate to admit this… I've seen how happy you've been lately. I'm not sure how, but Damon seems to be helping you." Bonnie admitted with raised eyebrows.

"I love him." Jolene replied.

"I know, and I don't understand it. But I'm happy for you, and I guess as long as he's helping you and making you happy… I'll try to tolerate him more. For your sake." Bonnie said with a smile.

Jolene's eyes widened as she joked, "Bonnie Bennet, the vampire sympathizer?"

"Ha! Hardly! But, you seem to make him better to… somehow through each of your guys' own pain and darkness you manage to help each other." Bonnie explained her reasoning.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading! I hope everyone liked the chapter.**

**I now have a few Teen Wolf fanfictions up now. ^_^**

**Please take a few moments to leave me a review and let me know if you're still reading and liking the story. Your support means so much to me and keeps me writing and updating. Thank you. ^_^**


	51. We Make a Good Team

**Chapter 51 –We Make a Good Team-**

* * *

"What is he doing here?" Bonnie asked as she saw Luka's father, Dr. Martin walk into the grill.

"I don't know… but he looks pissed." Jolene observed.

"Dr. Martin, are you okay?" Bonnie asked as the girls walked up to him.

"Where is she?" He asked them.

"I don't understand." Bonnie admitted to him.

"My son is dead." He told them, hate in his eyes.

"Whatever it is you think you need, there's a better way." Bonnie offered.

"They killed Elijah and they killed Luka. My only shot at getting my daughter back is Elena." He growled at Bonnie.

"No." Jolene said, her eyes narrowed at him.

Looking towards the stage he used his powers to explode the lights above everyone, people screamed as glass shattered and fell from ceiling.

"You think this is what Luka would have wanted; for you to hurt innocent people?" Bonnie asked him.

"Where is she?" He asked grabbing Bonnie's arm.

"I don't know I haven't seen her." Bonnie said, looking down to his hand on her arm.

Closing his eyes he channeled his energy and blew out every other light bulb in the grill.

"No one's getting out of her until I have her." Dr. Martin yelled at Bonnie.

Jolene took a deep breath, "You need to leave… now."

Looking over he set the top of the bar on fire.

Jolene immediately put the fire out.

He set it back on fire ad held his concentration as the flames grew.

Jolene immediately overpowered his spell and put the flames back out, holding her concentration and making it impossible for him to restart the fire.

Looking at her with rage, he grabbed her by the throat and pinned her against the wall.

Jolene gasped for air, but he was physically stronger than her.

"Let her go!" Bonnie yelled trying to pull him off of her but it was useless.

"You think you're a match for me?" He growled into her face.

Jolene started to get light headed and wasn't able to fight him.

"Hey!" Stefan yelled angrily as he saw them.

"Dr. Martin!" Elena yelled.

He let go of Jolene and she fell to the floor holding onto her burning throat as she still gasped for air.

"I'm sorry about Luka, but let us help you try to get him back." Elena said.

Caroline charged Dr. Martin knocking him to the ground, and Stefan pushed Elena towards the door and darted over grabbing Jolene and pulling her with them out of the Grill.

**~()~**

"Thank god!" Bonnie and Jeremy exclaimed as Stefan, Jolene and Katherine posing as Elena walked in the door.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked starting over to them.

"He'll explain." Katherine said as she looked at Jolene and nodded and started up the stairs.

Jolene looked back to Stefan as she turned and followed Katherine up the stairs.

Jolene waited out in the hallway while Katherine, still pretending to be Elena walked into the bathroom and started to wash her hands.

Dr. Martin walked into view of the mirror and Katherine gasped, acting surprised.

He looked at Katherine, his eyes narrowing, "You're not Elena…" He realized out loud.

He raised his hand and started to use his powers on Katherine, but Jolene ran in the room putting her hand on the back of his head and he yelled in pain as he dropped to his knees.

In an instant Katherine pulled him to his feet and sank her teeth into his neck, killing him.

Katherine look to Jolene as she licked her bloody lips and smiled, "We don't make a half-bad team."

"Go to hell." Jolene said, her eyes narrowed in hate.

Katherine wiped her mouth and laughed, looking up to see Stefan and Bonnie rushing into the bathroom.

"You're welcome." Katherine said to him.

Bonnie rushed to his side and dropped to the floor beside Dr. Martin.

"You didn't have to kill him." She said, looking to Katherine.

"Yes we did." Katherine argued with her.

Jolene watched as Bonnie reached down to close his eyelids, when he sprang back to life grabbing onto her head.

Bonnie yelled and tried to pull his hands off her.

Stefan quickly lunged forward snapping his neck, when his body fell back on the floor Katherine put her foot on his chest in case he managed to come back again.

Jolene looked at Bonnie, confused by the look on her face.

As they were leaving the bathroom Jolene asked, "Bonnie can I see your phone?"

"Uhh, yeah." Bonnie said as she handed Jolene her cellphone.

Jolene typed. '_Did he just give you your powers back?'_

Bonnie nodded and typed, '_Yeah, and I know a way to kill Klaus… I'll explain later.'_

Jolene nodded and deleted their note as she handed her –her cellphone back.

When they all came back down stairs, Damon and Elena were waiting on them.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Damon asked, as he grabbed onto her cheeks and searched her face, his eyes stopping at the bruise on her neck from Dr. Martin.

"I'm fine." She said, her eyes met his. Her voice was a little raspy from almost being choked to death.

"Everything is taken care of." Stefan said as he looked to Elena.

Katherine pulled the vervain filled necklace from her neck and said, "I'm guessing you're going to want this back."

Elena crossed the room and took the necklace from her.

Jolene looked at Damon as he continued to stare at her.

"I'm fine, really." She reassured him.

He let out a small sigh as he looked back down to the bruise, before lowering his head and kissing her.

"You're gonna have to get her out of here before Jenna gets home." Elena said looking to Stefan.

"Is that all you have to say to me?" Katherine questioned.

"This doesn't change the way I feel about you." Elena admitted to her.

Jolene turned to watch them, and Damon stood beside her, his arm around her side holding her against him.

"I don't like you much, either; if we're going to be open." Katherine said, her voice full of attitude.

"And frankly I'd be happy to see you dead. But if we're going to take on Klaus, we kind of need you to be alive. So I'm not a threat to you, Elena." Katherine continued.

"If any of you are going to believe anything, believe that." Katherine said, looking around the room at everyone.

That night Jolene lay in Damon's bed curled up to his side as he read through another one of the old Gilbert journals.

"Before he died, Dr. Martin gave Bonnie her powers back." Jolene admitted.

"Having power isn't going to matter much if we don't have a way to kill Klaus." Damon said with a sigh as he turned the page in the journal.

"Well… he also happened to reveal to Bonnie how he had intended to take Klaus out." Jolene admitted.

"How?" Damon asked looking to where she was beside him.

"Dr. Martin and Luka seemed to think that if a witch could channel enough power, they would be able to kill an original." Jolene explained.

"How would a witch even find that much power to channel?" Damon questioned.

"Why do you think Elijah was so dead set on finding the site of the witch massacre?" Jolene asked.

"That's a thought…" Damon agreed.

"It's a pretty good idea, I mean if me or Bonnie could channel that much energy and kill Klaus… it would be perfect." Jolene said as she looked at her cellphone.

Damon dropped the journal beside him on the bed.

"Bonnie or you?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm stronger than Bonnie as a witch because of my Mage and witch blood… We talked a little about it and we're not sure who's going to do it." Jolene admitted.

"Well not you." Damon said looking at her as she laid her phone on his bedside table.

"Why not?" She questioned.

"Let Bonnie go up against Klaus." Damon told her.

"Technically we're all going up against Klaus, I don't think it really matters who is going to actually take him out." Jolene went on to explain.

"What if you go up against Klaus and you fail, Jolene?" Damon asked her.

She avoided his eyes.

"He will kill you… probably rip you apart." Damon told her.

"There's a bigger picture here…" She defended.

"A bigger picture? There is no bigger picture if you're not in it." He told her.

"Yeah… there kind of is. Klaus is bad news and he's not going to stop until he gets Elena… and…" She was explaining but he cut her off.

"So what?" Damon questioned.

"She is one of my best friends." Jolene said rising up and looking at him.

"I know, and that why I've been trying to help you, help her. But no, you're not going on a suicide mission." Damon said, his eyes searched her face as he spoke.

"So what am I supposed to do? Call Bonnie up and tell her it's all up to her because you're afraid to lose me?" Jolene asked, her eyebrows raised at him.

"Call her and tell her whatever the hell you want, but you're not doing it." Damon said, his voice full of authority as he spoke.

"I know that you're worried, but you're not going to tell me what I can and can't do." Jolene said, her eyes meeting his.

Damon let out a heavy sigh, "Bonnie will have better luck trying to channel the power anyway… Emily Bennet was killed at the same place. With her ancestors having been killed violently there, Bonnie should be able to take in that power."

"Are you making this up?" She asked him.

"No, it's the truth." He said.

Then her expression changed and her green eyes widened, "So you know where the witches were killed?"

He nodded.

"Then you have to take me there tomorrow. Bonnie and I are going to Dr. Martin's apartment to collect the grimmors and find the spell we need to channel the witches." Jolene told him.

"I'll take Bonnie there." He told her.

"You will take us both there." Jolene argued with him.

"Fine, I will take you both there so that Bonnie can channel them." Damon said.

Jolene sighed and laid down, turning her back to Damon as she closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.

She felt the bed move as Damon laid down beside her, he turned on his side and pulled her back against him.

"We need to sleep, it was a really long day and I'm worn out." She whispered against her pillow as she tilted her face down.

"Jo." Damon said.

But she didn't respond.

"I love you." He whispered into her ear.

She sighed but didn't respond.

Moving to the side, he pulled her back until she lay on her back.

"Am I going to have go to one of the 6 other bedrooms, or go home?" She asked, looking at him.

He leaned over her and his face was only inches above hers.

"I wasn't trying to make you mad." He said.

"You don't get to make my decisions, Damon. Especially not when you pull the same stupid moves you're trying to stop me from doing." Jolene told him as she looked at him.

"What are you talking about?" He asked her.

"I'm talking about when I went against that Mage… you knew it was dangerous for you to be there, but you did it anyway." She reminded him.

"Because I love you." He said.

"And I am in love with you. But I also love my friends and I won't just let them walk into a dangerous situation either. I'd rather go then have any of them risk their lives." Jolene said.

"I won't accept that. I… I can't lose you." Damon said, as his eyes bore into hers.

"And I hope you don't have to." Jolene said nodding.

He closed his eyes for a minute before he opened them and looked at her.

"Here." He said as he bit his wrist and held it over her mouth.

Her eyes widened and she pinned her mouth shut as she pushed his arm back and sat up, wiping the blood from her chin that had dripped on her.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked, still wiping her chin.

"If you're going to insist on putting yourself in dangerous situations… you'll just take my blood every day." He said.

Sliding off the bed she stood beside it with her arms crossed over her chest as she shook her head back and forth.

"No." she said.

"No?" He asked his voice raised.

"I'm not going to take your blood every freaking day just in case something happens." She argued with him.

"Until this whole Klaus situation is over, yes you will." Damon said as she stood from the bed and faced her.

"I don't want to." Jolene finally admitted.

"You did it before." Damon said, getting angry with her.

"Yeah… and it took me a long time to prepare for the possibility of becoming a vampire." She said.

"And now you've decided you're not going to?" He asked.

"I don't know." She said swallowing hard as she spoke.

"Then what the hell was that whole speech about?" He asked.

She didn't respond.

Taking a deep breath he yelled, "Oh Damon, I don't look at it like I'd be giving up everything to be with you. Uh. You're the most important thing to me?" He brought up a few of the things she had told him.

"You are the most important thing to me." She said to him, running her fingers over her scalp through her hair.

"Then why are you trying to leave me?" He asked.

"I'm not! Oh my god, I've spent every night for close to the past month with you!" She yelled back.

"Not what I'm talking about." He yelled back at her.

"What do you want me to say?" She asked, tears stinging her eyes.

"Nothing, you don't have to say anything… just drink." He said, as he bit back into his wrist reopening the already healed wound from a few minutes ago.

She looked at the blood on his wrist and shook her head back and forth.

"Would you please stop it? I do not want to drink your blood, Damon! I just want to go to bed and sleep!" She said, her voice still raised.

She watched as the wound closed and he wiped his blood on his shirt.

He walked up and held onto her cheeks making her face him.

She tried to pull her face away, but he kept his hold tight on her.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Then just stop it! Stop trying to make me drink your blood, stop trying to tell me what I can and can't do. It's my life…" She said tears stinging her eyes.

"And apparently, your life means more to me than it does to you. Because I seem to be the only one trying to protect it, I'm just trying to keep you alive." He said.

"Damon." Jolene said as she tried to pull her face from his hands.

"Oh my god, just drink his damn blood, or I'll hold you down and feed you my blood! Some of us are trying to sleep!" Katherine yelled as she pushed the door open and walked into Damon's room.

"Get out." Damon yelled looking over to her.

"You've been yelling at each other for 20 minutes." Katherine said dramatically crossing her arms over her chest.

"If you don't want to hear us then just leave." Jolene snapped, as she finally pulled free of Damon's hold.

"And go where? I picked the bedroom on the other side of the house… the one farthest away from the both of you because you can't keep… anything you do quiet. And I have been stabbed several times today, I need some rest." Katherine argued with them.

Jolene's eyes widened as she looked at her.

"What you really thought I couldn't hear you guys? Even Elena and Stefan manage to keep it down more than you." Katherine yelled at her.

"Just get the hell out." Jolene yelled at her.

Katherine sighed loudly and turned to leave, slamming the door shut behind her.

Jolene looked back at Damon who looked like he was trying to hold back laughter.

"I told you we should have stayed at my house." Jolene said shaking her head.

"Or maybe you should be a little quieter…" Damon said, laughing.

"Oh my god… shut up." Jolene said, not able to stop the smile that spread across her lips.

He grabbed onto her face again as he leaned in and kissed her, pulling back he looked into her eyes before kissing her again.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"I know… it's okay, I understand. I can't stand the thought of losing you either, but that doesn't mean you're going to make all the decisions." Jolene said, her eyebrows pushed together in frustration.

"I was telling the truth… Emily Bennet did die in the same place as the witch massacre. Bonnie will have a better chance at channeling that power." He whispered his voice quiet so Katherine couldn't hear him.

Jolene stared into his eyes before nodding and saying, "Alright, so I'll talk to Bonnie about her being the one to channel the powers. I mean, she has the necklace that belonged to Emily… I'm sure she will help Bonnie the best she can."

Wrapping his arms around her he reclaimed her mouth with his as she pulled his face even closer to hers and pressed her body tightly against his.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading! I hope everyone liked the chapter.**

**I now have a few Teen Wolf fanfictions up now. ^_^**

**Please take a few moments to leave me a review and let me know if you're still reading and liking the story. Your support means so much to me and keeps me writing and updating. Thank you. ^_^**


	52. When the Past Comes to Life

**Chapter 52 – When the Past Comes to Life-**

* * *

The next day Jolene and Damon left to meet Bonnie and Jeremy to head over to Dr. Martin's apartment.

Damon broke the door knob and waved a hand inside of the doorframe and said, "Yep, everybody's dead." Before walking inside.

Jolene's eyes went to Luka's burnt corpse still on the floor of the apartment as she followed him inside.

"Let's pack up the Grimoires." Jolene said to Jeremy.

He nodded and they started to pick them up while Damon walked over to Luka's body while Bonnie worked a spell to find the correct grimoire and spell she needed to channel the power.

"We could just get another match and cremate him." Damon said, looking around the room.

"Don't be disrespectful. Not to him." Bonnie argued shaking her head back and forth.

"Fine. I'll bury him." Damon said as he started to wrap him up in a blanket.

After burying Luka's body the group of 4 made their way to the house on the grounds where the witch massacre took place.

"You sure it's the right place?" Jeremy asked when they saw the old house.

Damon nodded and started towards the house.

"It doesn't look like anyone has been in here in years." Jolene observed once they were inside of the house.

While they were looking around Damon stopped and sighed heavily as he stood in front of a window.

"What?" Jolene asked looking at him.

"Whatever prank you're playing, don't it's not funny." Damon told Bonnie.

"I'm not doing anything." Bonnie said confused.

"I can't move." Damon informed them.

Jolene looked down to his shoes on the floor and shrugged.

Then he groaned in pain, Jolene looked at him her eyes widening as he started to burn in the sunlight from the window.

"My rings not working!" He said his voice strained from pain.

Jolene looked around the room before using her powers to let him move out of the sunlight.

Once he was free, she looked around the room again.

Suddenly it felt like her brain was on fire inside of her head, she dropped to the floor screaming as she held onto her head.

"What's happening?" Damon asked, dropping to the floor beside her.

Bonnie listened to the whispers in the room from the spirits of the witches.

Looking back at Damon her eyes widened, "They don't want either one of you in here."

"We'll be outside." Damon said as he quickly picked Jolene up and left the house with her.

Once they were outside she breathed a sigh of relief as he lowered her to her feet.

"Thanks." She said, happy the pain was gone.

"What was that about?" He asked concerned.

"I'm guessing the fact that Mages and witches don't exactly have a history of being friends… they must not like me." Jolene told him.

"Good thing you didn't try to channel them then." Damon told her.

Jolene nodded, and after a while they both looked back at the house and the door slammed shut.

"They don't like you much either." Jolene said, looking to Damon.

"I gathered that when they tried to burn me to a crisp." He said.

It was a few moments later when Damon's phone rang; it was Elena calling them to say that he needed to go to the Lockwood house, John Gilbert had been attacked.

"I'm coming with you." Jolene said when he told he was going to have to leave.

"Fine, but stay in the car… no one knows you know anything about all of this." He told her.

"Okay." She agreed.

Damon beat on the closed door and told Bonnie and Jeremy they were heading off.

A little while later Damon loaded John's body into his trunk, he got in the driver's seat and immediately started the car and drove off.

"Are we going to bury him?" Jolene questioned.

"No… Ric gave him is ring back… he's not going to stay dead." Damon told her.

Jolene nodded and when they got back to Damon's house, she opened the front door and watched as he carried John in and dropped him on the floor with a loud thud.

Looking down he sighed at the blood on his shirt and to the blood on his hands, Jolene followed him up the stairs and grabbed him a clean shirt out of his closet after he washed his hands and took his blood stained shirt off.

"Thanks." He said as he took the shirt from her and pulling it on.

"Welcome…" She said, her eyes going to the basket of soaps by Damon's sink.

"Uh… where's the moonstone?" She asked as she dumped all the soaps out onto the counter.

"What?" Damon asked, as he looked at all the soaps.

"Did you move it and not tell me?" She asked.

"No it was here when left this morning. And you're the only one who knew where I hid it." He said.

"Well I haven't touched it." Jolene said, her green eyes wide.

His cellphone rang he said, "It's Stefan."

Answering it he said, "How did we beat you and Elena here?"

Jolene watched as Damon talked for a few moments before he hung up the phone.

"John getting attacked was a distraction so Katherine could swap places with Elena, Stefan thinks Isobel took her." Damon said.

"Oh my god." Jolene breathed out shaking her head.

"And Katherine had to have found the damn moonstone." Damon growled as he angrily knocked the bucket and all the bar soaps onto the floor.

**~(Later that day)~**

Elena had made it back to the house safe; Isobel had been compelled by Klaus to let her go.

Then Elena told them that Isobel removed her daylight necklace and burnt in the sun.

Jeremy had called Jolene to tell her that Bonnie was able to channel all of the power from the witches.

Elena was in the next room talking to John.

Jolene hung up her phone.

"Jeremy says it worked. Bonnie harnessed the powers." Jolene told the brothers.

"Well, Bonnie's locked and loaded." Damon said.

Taking a drink from his glass Stefan said, "At least something went right today."

Then he turned around and looked at them.

"Katherine has no idea that Bonnie got her powers back, and Isobel had no idea what you guys took Bonnie to do today?" Stefan asked them.

"Right." Jolene agreed.

"We are the only ones who know." Stefan said, a smile spreading across his lips.

"So… Bonnie is our secret weapon?" Damon said, piecing it all together.

Jolene stayed the night at Damon's again; she hardly even stayed at her own house anymore.

It wasn't long after she fell asleep that she had a very vivid dream.

_**~()~**_

Jolene looked around the inside of a small cottage before she opened the door and walked outside into the midday sun.

There was a small crystal clear stream that flowed at the bottom of a small hill towards the back of the yard.

"Jolene?" A voice questioned.

Jolene spun around to face a girl who only looked a few years older than her, and who bore a striking resemblance to her.

"Who are you?" Jolene asked, her green eyes meeting the slightly darker green eyes of the girl in front of her.

"My name is Johanna." She responded, her voice was soft and sweet.

Jolene's eyes traced her soft facial features; it was almost like looking in a mirror.

Her hair was only a few shades lighter than Jolene's dark red hair, and hung down in loose natural waves all the way to her waist.

"I'm dreaming?" Jolene questioned.

"Yes, you are… but this is the only way I can speak to you." Johanna said.

"You truly look a lot like me." She continued to say.

"Why?" Jolene asked.

"I am an ancestor of yours… I was killed before I had children of my own, but I had a sister and 3 brothers, each of them grew up to have their own families." She responded.

"I'm not falling for this…" Jolene said, fearing it was the Mage in disguise again.

"Don't go! This is very important." Johanna said as she took Jolene's hand in her own.

Jolene looked down to their hands as a calm feeling rushed over her.

"You feel that? It means you can trust me, we are family and I mean you absolutely no harm." She said.

Jolene nodded and gently pulled her hand away from Johanna.

"What do you want with me?" Jolene asked her.

"I've came to warn you. You need to leave Mystic Falls… he's already in town." Johanna warned.

"Who?" Jolene questioned.

"Niklaus… but I believe now days he just goes by Klaus." She explained.

"I can't leave; Elena is one of my best friends." Jolene said, shaking her head.

"You have to. When he sees you and sees the striking resemblance we bear, he's going to figure out you're part Mage… I also fear he may be drawn to you; If nothing else, just for our physical resemblance." Johanna explained.

"You have history with Klaus, the original vampire?" Jolene questioned her eyes growing wider.

"Yes, and I don't want you to suffer the same fate. There isn't much to do here on the other side, I've always enjoyed spending my time watching the descendants of my siblings grow up. You're the only one left." Johanna said.

"Tell me about you and Klaus." Jolene urged.

"It's not a nice story, no happy ending." Johanna said as she walked down the hill and sat down by the streams edge.

Jolene followed her taking a seat on the soft grass beside her.

"A very, very long time ago. I had an encounter with Niklaus, he courted me and I became smitten. Despite his true evil nature, he was very charming. I don't have a lot of time, so I will make the story short." Johanna said.

Jolene nodded.

"One night I found him… drinking the blood of a woman. I knew immediately what he was; my parent's had warned me against the blood-thirsty demons who roamed the night. But he was able to walk in the daylight and I had never suspected him to be anything but a true gentleman." Johanna said before taking a deep breath and continuing her tory.

"He tried to explain away what I had scene, but I used my powers against him. I wasn't strong enough… he used mind control on me, erased my memory of seeing him drinking blood and he even compelled me to believe I was in love with him. A year passed and he decided to turn me, so I would stop aging and he could keep me with him." Johanna said.

"He thought I was just a witch, and that when he turned me I'd lose all of my powers and he'd just compel me again; original vampires can compel other vampires." She explained.

"I'm aware." Jolene said nodding.

"But after he turned me, I remembered everything! And he tried to compel me again, but being part Mage… once I was turned I couldn't be compelled. He kept me locked away, told everyone that I had died. I was locked up for nearly 5 years when I finally managed to get away. But I wasn't used to life as a vampire, and he was quickly able to find me." Johanna said, and then she got quiet.

"Did you still have abilities as a vampire then? From the Mage blood?" Jolene asked.

"Some, not as many but there were helpful abilities that appeared. I did not have to be invited into a home, for example." She said.

"What happened when Klaus found you?" Jolene asked.

"He told me that my running from him was a betrayal… then he ripped my heart from my chest." Johanna said.

Jolene swallowed hard as her stomach hurt.

"I told you there was no happy ending." Johanna reminded her.

"I… I can't just leave town. My life is here, I can't abandon my friends… and Damon, I can't leave him." Jolene said.

"You must. You will remind him of me… he will not leave you alone." Johanna said.

"You said it was a long time ago, he's been so busy trying to break the sun and moon curse that he really might not remember, or won't care." Jolene said.

"He will." Johanna warned, her green eyes staring into Jolene's.

"How can you be so sure?" Jolene questioned.

"My past with him is… complicated, very hard to understand and painful to remember. But I know what I'm talking about; you have to leave… get yourself out of danger." Johanna warned her again.

"Can I ask you something?" Jolene questioned.

"Yes." Johanna said with a nod.

"When you were turned into a vampire, was the darkness still there?" Jolene asked her.

"From being part Mage? Yes, the moment I was forced to feed and complete my transition, everything about me went dark. All vampires get enjoyment from killing and feeding on human beings… but I had never felt anything so amazing in my entire life. I wanted to do bad things… hurt people for no reason; I couldn't control the darkness inside of me." Johanna said.

Jolene swatted a tear away from her cheek.

"I have witch blood from my dad's side of my family… do you think I'd still be taken over by the bad parts of being a vampire?" Jolene questioned.

"Don't do it, Jolene. There is no guarantee you'd be as bad as I was, or that you wouldn't be able to control it… but it's not a life that you want." Johanna told her, her voice sympathetic as she spoke.

"I just want him…" Jolene said, thinking about Damon.

"He loves you, for you and everything you are… this is true. But ask yourself Jolene, if you turn into a vampire and the darkness takes over, you won't be yourself. Not even in the slightest, and if you can't control it and you become nothing but a blood-thirsty monster. Will he still love and want you?" Johanna questioned.

Jolene's breathing grew labored as she thought about it.

"I have no intention of causing you pain, Jolene. But you need to be prepared for everything that's coming. But, I can promise you that if he turns you and you shut off your emotions, or you can't control anything and the darkness takes over. You will be absolutely nothing like yourself. No true piece of you will remain…" Johanna warned again.

"But there is a chance I can fight it, right? There's a possibility I may be able to handle it and keep who I am?" Jolene asked her.

Johanna looked down and took Jolene's hand in her own.

"There is always hope… but the possibility of what you speak is very dim." Johanna said.

When Johanna released her hold on Jolene's hand, Jolene woke up.

Gasping she sat straight up on the bed and looked around Damon's bedroom.

Catching her breath she replayed the dream in her mind as she looked down to Damon still sleeping peacefully beside her.

Laying down she swatted a tear from her cheek and turned on her side, watching Damon while he slept.

She knew she was going to have to do a lot of soul-searching before she considered becoming a vampire.

When she had taken his blood before, she really didn't think it through. And since she took his blood once when her death was possible, he couldn't understand why she was hesitating to do it again.

**~(The next day)~**

Jolene's alarm went off and she shut her cellphone alarm off and looked up to the ceiling.

Damon rose up and looked over at her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, immediately able to tell by the look on her face that something was wrong.

"I didn't sleep well at all." Jolene said with a heavy sigh.

Leaning over he kissed her and said, "Come on, the lawyer will be here in an hour for Elena to sign the deed for the house."

Jolene nodded as she sat up, trying to push the thoughts from her head.

Damon stopped and listened for a moment, "And Bonnie is already here." He said, looking at her.

She nodded again and slid out of the bed, picking her clothes for the day she stayed quiet.

"Is something else wrong?" He asked as he faced her after they had both changed for the day.

Tears stung her eyes as she searched his face, what if Johanna was right?

Jolene had already been afraid about turning into a complete monster, but she hadn't considered the possibility that it would change her so much that Damon might no longer love her.

"Jo?" He questioned, seeing her eyes were watery.

Stepping forward she hugged him burying her face against his chest, she breathed in deeply and squeezed him tighter.

"I love you." Jolene said her voice muffled by his black button up shirt.

He held her tight against him "I love you too, but what's going on?" He asked, confused by her behavior.

"Nothing, I just had this really bad nightmare last night… and it just made me realize how much I love you. I don't know what I'd do without you." She said, her voice a little hoarse as she kept her face snuggled against his chest.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" He asked her as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

Before she could answer there was a knock on the door.

"What?" Damon yelled.

Stefan opened the door and looked at them, "Uh, the lawyers here. Elena's about to sign the papers for the house… we need to get outside before it's in her name."

"Okay, I'm coming." Damon said nodding, as he kept his arms wrapped around Jolene.

Letting go of him she took a step back and looked down at the floor.

Reaching forward he grabbed onto her chin and lifted her face until she faced him.

Leaning down he kissed her, "I don't know what you're not telling me, but whatever is going on… I need to know. The last time you started having nightmares a Mage came after you."

"It wasn't like those nightmares… you better get outside before Elena signs the papers." She said.

He looked at her for a few more moments before kissing her again and then heading downstairs to go outside.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading! I hope everyone liked the chapter, I'm trying to get back into the habit of updating this story every week.**

**I have a few Teen Wolf fanfictions up now. ^_^**

**Please take a few moments to leave me a review and let me know if you're still reading and liking the story. Your support means so much to me and keeps me writing and updating. Thank you. ^_^**


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